翻译后蛋白质调节允许微调细胞功能,并涉及广泛的修饰,包括泛素和泛素样修饰剂(Ubls)。Ubl共轭和去除的动态平衡决定了目标衬底的命运,反过来调节各种细胞过程。Ubl途径的机制方面及其生物学作用已经在酵母中得到了很大的确立,植物,和哺乳动物细胞。然而,这些修饰剂可以在高度专业化和不同的生物体中不同地使用,例如寄生原生动物。在这次审查中,我们探索这些寄生虫如何利用Ubls,特别是SUMO,NEDD8、ATG8、ATG12、URM1和UFM1调节其非常规细胞生理学。我们讨论了新出现的数据,这些数据提供了Ubl介导的独特寄生虫特异性过程调节的证据,以及寄生原生动物中Ubl途径的独特特征。我们还强调了利用这些基本调节剂及其同源酶机制开发治疗方法的潜力,以防止由原生动物寄生虫引起的疾病。
Post-translational protein regulation allows for fine-tuning of cellular functions and involves a wide range of modifications, including ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like modifiers (Ubls). The dynamic balance of Ubl conjugation and removal shapes the fates of target substrates, in turn modulating various cellular processes. The mechanistic aspects of Ubl pathways and their biological roles have been largely established in yeast, plants, and mammalian cells. However, these modifiers may be utilised differently in highly specialised and divergent organisms, such as parasitic protozoa. In this review, we explore how these parasites employ Ubls, in particular SUMO, NEDD8, ATG8, ATG12, URM1, and UFM1, to regulate their unconventional cellular physiology. We discuss emerging data that provide evidence of Ubl-mediated regulation of unique parasite-specific processes, as well as the distinctive features of Ubl pathways in parasitic protozoa. We also highlight the potential to leverage these essential regulators and their cognate enzymatic machinery for development of therapeutics to protect against the diseases caused by protozoan parasites.