Proteomics of trypanosomatids of human medical importance

Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi, and Trypanosoma brucei are protozoan parasites that cause a spectrum of fatal human diseases around the world. Recent completion of the genomic sequencing of these parasites has enormous relevance to the study of their biology and the pathogenesis of the diseases they cause because it opens the door to high-throughput proteomic technologies. This review encompasses studies using diverse proteomic approaches with these organisms to describe and catalogue global protein profiles, reveal changes in protein expression during development, elucidate the subcellular localisation of gene products, and evaluate host–parasite interactions.

Graphical abstractIn this review, we will discuss the proteomic approaches used in the study of Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi and T. brucei, highlighting the advances made and future perspectives.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (433 K)Download as PowerPoint slide