Cell Cycle Inhibition To Treat Sleeping Sickness.

African trypanosomiasis is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite During infection, this pathogen divides rapidly to high density in the bloodstream of its mammalian host in a manner similar to that of leukemia. Like all eukaryotes, has a cell cycle involving the synthesis of DNA regulated by ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), which catalyzes the conversion of ribonucleotides into their deoxy form. As an essential enzyme for the cell cycle, RNR is a common target for cancer chemotherapy.

Endothelial transmigration by Trypanosoma cruzi.

Chagas heart disease, the leading cause of heart failure in Latin America, results from infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Although T. cruzi disseminates intravascularly, how the parasite contends with the endothelial barrier to escape the bloodstream and infect tissues has not been described.