Snapshots Unveil Key Molecular Machine in Parasites

A study conducted between the University of Li ge and Rockefeller University reveals, with near-atomic precision, the three-dimensional structure and function of a gigantic molecular machine essential to the survival of trypanosomatid parasites, which cause serious diseases in humans, animals and plants. This discovery sheds light on a biological mechanism that has remained a mystery for nearly forty years and reveals several features specific to these organisms.

Trypanosomatids are parasites responsible for numerous diseases affecting humans, animals and plants. In humans, they cause tropical diseases such as leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness and Chagas' disease, which affect several million people worldwide. Treatments exist, but they remain limited by their efficacy, toxicity or the development of resistance. And this problem extends beyond human health. Other trypanosomatids infect livestock, causing major economic losses, while some species infect crops and significantly reduce agricultural yields.