Evolution and function of carbohydrate reserve biosynthesis in parasitic protists.

Trends Parasitol

Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address:

Published: November 2021

Nearly all eukaryotic cells synthesize carbohydrate reserves, such as glycogen, starch, or low-molecular-weight oligosaccharides. However, a number of parasitic protists have lost this capacity while others have lost, and subsequently evolved, entirely new pathways. Recent studies suggest that retention, loss, or acquisition of these pathways in different protists is intimately linked to their lifestyle. In particular, parasites with carbohydrate reserves often establish long-lived chronic infections and/or produce environmental cysts, whereas loss of these pathways is associated with parasites that have highly proliferative and metabolically active life-cycle stages. The evolution of mannogen biosynthesis in Leishmania and related parasites indicates that these pathways have played a role in defining the host range and niches occupied by some protists.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2021.06.005DOI Listing

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