Unconventional features in the transcription and processing of spliceosomal small nuclear RNAs in the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a medically important protozoan parasite, and a deep-branching, evolutionarily divergent unicellular eukaryote that has conserved several key features of eukaryotic gene expression. Trichomonas vaginalis possesses a metazoan/plant-like capping apparatus, mRNAs with a cap 1 structure and spliceosomes containing the five small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs). However, in contrast to metazoan and plant snRNAs, the structurally conserved T.

NlpC/P60 peptidoglycan hydrolases of Trichomonas vaginalis have complementary activities that empower the protozoan to control host-protective lactobacilli.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a human protozoan parasite that causes trichomoniasis, a prevalent sexually transmitted infection. Trichomoniasis is accompanied by a shift to a dysbiotic vaginal microbiome that is depleted of lactobacilli. Studies on co-cultures have shown that vaginal bacteria in eubiosis (e.

The Protozoan Targets Bacteria with Laterally Acquired NlpC/P60 Peptidoglycan Hydrolases.

The human eukaryotic pathogen causes trichomoniasis, a prevalent sexually transmitted infection. This extracellular protozoan is intimately associated with the human vaginal mucosa and microbiota, but key aspects of the complex interactions between the parasite and the vaginal bacteria remain elusive. We report that has acquired, by lateral gene transfer from bacteria, genes encoding peptidoglycan hydrolases of the NlpC/P60 family.

The Interplay of Host Microbiota and Parasitic Protozoans at Mucosal Interfaces: Implications for the Outcomes of Infections and Diseases.

Infections by parasitic protozoans are largely neglected, despite threatening millions of people, particularly in developing countries. With descriptions of the microbiota in humans, a new frontier of investigation is developing to decipher the complexity of host-parasite-microbiota relationships, instead of the classic reductionist approach, which considers host-parasite in isolation. Here, we review with specific examples the potential roles that the resident microbiota can play at mucosal interfaces in the transmission of parasitic protozoans and in the progress of infection and disease.