At the heart of trypanosome metabolism,
the mystery of the droplets
Background: African Trypanosomes
The organism: African trypanosomes are unicellular parasites. Unlike other intestinal parasites such as Taenia, these are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye.
Life cycle: They are highly adaptable because they move between two very different environments: an insect vector (the tsetse fly) and a mammalian host (humans or animals).
Diseases: In humans, they cause sleeping sickness, a neglected tropical disease that is on the verge of being eliminated.
In animals, they cause “nagana” in livestock, resulting in financial losses estimated at billions of euros and hindering Africa’s development.
In animals, they cause “nagana” in livestock, resulting in financial losses estimated at billions of euros and hindering Africa’s development.
The Scientific Problem: The Mystery of Lipid Droplets
What is it? Les gouttelettes lipidiques sont des compartiments cellulaires dynamiques issus du réticulum endoplasmique, entourés d’une couche de phospholipides.
Their function: They serve as a metabolic platform and interact with mitochondria and peroxisomes to regulate energy, lipids, and cellular signaling.
The observation: Although their importance is recognised in general biology, their role remains very poorly studied and underestimated in trypanosomes. This is where the project’s originality lies.
The objectives of the ANR OIL project
The goal: OIL is a basic research project aimed at unraveling the biology of these droplets (composition, dynamics, functions) within the parasite.
Methodology: The team uses a wide range of cutting-edge technological approaches:
Functional genomics.
State-of-the-art imaging techniques.
“-omics” approaches (proteomics, lipidomics, etc.).
Challenges and Outlook
Understanding adaptation: The parasite must adapt its metabolism and morphology to survive the change in environment (fly vs mammal). To understand lipid droplets is to understand this survival.
Basic Research: Beyond the parasite, these discoveries often shed light on mechanisms in “higher” organisms and help solve broader biological puzzles.
