Unlocking the mystery of the feeder organelle and versatile energy metabolism in Cryptosporidium parvum

Dongqiang Wang; Guan Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.pt.2024.03.002

Unlocking the mystery of the feeder organelle and versatile energy metabolism in Cryptosporidium parvum

Trends Parasitol. 2024 Apr;40(4):280-282. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.03.002. Epub 2024 Mar 13.

Authors

Dongqiang Wang¹, Guan Zhu²

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
² State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA. Electronic address: cryptosporida@gmail.com.

PMID: 38485578
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.03.002

Abstract

Xu and colleagues recently revealed the critical role of Cryptosporidium's feeder organelle in nutrient uptake, showcasing the parasite's ability to harness glucose and glucose-6-phosphate from host cells. This illuminates the sophisticated energy metabolism and survival strategies of the parasite, highlighting potential therapeutic targets.

Keywords: Cryptosporidium parvum; aldolase; feeder organelle; glucose transporters; glycogen phosphorylase; hexokinase.

MeSH terms

Cryptosporidiosis* / parasitology
Cryptosporidium parvum*
Cryptosporidium*
Energy Metabolism
Humans
Organelles / metabolism