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Review
. 2021 May;115(5):882-890.
doi: 10.1111/mmi.14650. Epub 2020 Dec 15.

A framework for signaling throughout the life cycle of Babesia species

Brendan Elsworth  1 , Manoj T Duraisingh  1
Affiliations
Review

A framework for signaling throughout the life cycle of Babesia species

Brendan Elsworth et al. Mol Microbiol. 2021 May.

Abstract

Babesia species are tick-borne intracellular parasites that infect the red blood cells of their mammalian host, leading to severe or fatal disease. Babesia spp. infect a wide range of mammalian species and cause a significant economic burden globally, predominantly through disease in cattle. Several Babesia spp. are increasingly being recognized as zoonotic pathogens of humans. Babesia spp. have complex life cycles involving multiple stages in the tick and the mammalian host. The parasite utilizes complex signaling pathways during replication, egress, and invasion in each of these stages. They must also rapidly respond to their environment when switching between the mammalian and tick stages. This review will focus on the signaling pathways and environmental stimuli that Babesia spp. utilize in the bloodstream and for transmission to the tick, with an emphasis on the role of phosphorylation- and calcium-based signaling during egress and invasion. The expanding availability of in vitro and in vivo culture systems, genomes, transcriptomes, and transgenic systems available for a range of Babesia spp. should encourage further biological and translational studies of these ubiquitous parasites.

Keywords: Babesia; Apicomplexa; calcium signaling; signal transduction.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Signaling is required throughout the life cycle of Babesia spp.
A schematic of the life cycle of Babesia spp., highlighting points at which the parasite likely requires signaling pathways and must respond to environmental stimuli. Red and green boxes highlight the known signaling molecules and environmental stimuli, respectively, required by the parasite at that stage in its life cycle. *The requirement for extracellular calcium in egress and invasion has discrepancies between studies. A “?” Denotes life cycle steps at which there is expected to be parasite signaling pathways or environmental stimuli based on studies in related apicomplexans, but have not been studied in Babesia. XA, Xanthurenic acid.
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