To colonize mammalian phagocytic cells, the parasite Leishmania remodels phagosomes into parasitophorous vacuoles that can be either tight-fitting individual or communal. The molecular and cellular bases underlying the biogenesis and functionality of these two types of vacuoles are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the contribution of host cell soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive-factor attachment protein receptor proteins to the expansion and functionality of communal vacuoles as well as the replication of the parasite. The differential patterns of recruitment of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive-factor attachment protein receptor to communal vacuoles harboring Leishmania amazonensis and to individual vacuoles housing L. major led us to further investigate the roles of VAMP3 and VAMP8 in the interaction of Leishmania with its host cell. We show that whereas VAMP8 contributes to the optimal expansion of communal vacuoles, VAMP3 negatively regulates L. amazonensis replication, vacuole size, as well as antigen cross-presentation. In contrast, neither protein has an impact on the fate of L. major. Collectively, our data support a role for both VAMP3 and VAMP8 in the development and functionality of L. amazonensis-harboring communal parasitophorous vacuoles.
Keywords: Leishmania; SNARE; cross-presentation; macrophage; parasitophorous vacuole.