The flexibility of Apicomplexa parasites in lipid metabolism

PLoS Pathog. 2022 Mar 17;18(3):e1010313. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010313. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Apicomplexa are obligate intracellular parasites responsible for major human infectious diseases such as toxoplasmosis and malaria, which pose social and economic burdens around the world. To survive and propagate, these parasites need to acquire a significant number of essential biomolecules from their hosts. Among these biomolecules, lipids are a key metabolite required for parasite membrane biogenesis, signaling events, and energy storage. Parasites can either scavenge lipids from their host or synthesize them de novo in a relict plastid, the apicoplast. During their complex life cycle (sexual/asexual/dormant), Apicomplexa infect a large variety of cells and their metabolic flexibility allows them to adapt to different host environments such as low/high fat content or low/high sugar levels. In this review, we discuss the role of lipids in Apicomplexa parasites and summarize recent findings on the metabolic mechanisms in host nutrient adaptation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apicomplexa* / metabolism
  • Apicoplasts*
  • Humans
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Lipids
  • Parasites*

Substances

  • Lipids

Grants and funding

This work and the authors are supported by Agence Nationale de la Recherche, France (Grant ApicolipidAdapt ANR-21-CE44-0010 and ANR-12-PDOC-0028), the Atip-Avenir and Finovi programme (CNRS-INSERM-Finovi Atip Avenir Apicolipid projects), CEFIPRA (Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research, project 6003-1), IDEX-Université Grenoble Alpes (ISP programme), Region Auvergne Rhone-Alpes (IRICE Grant, Project GEMELI), The Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (TEAM FRMEQU202103012700), Project LIA-IRP CNRS programme (Apicolipid Project) and the Laboratoire d’Excellence ParaFrap, France (Grant number ANR-11-LABX-0024) to CYB. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.