Heat Shock Proteins in Protozoan Parasites – Leishmania spp.

Abstract

In this review, we shall look into the heat shock proteins of kinetoplastid protozoa of the genus Leishmania. The leishmaniae possess a full complement of molecular chaperones, with peculiar additions. Heat shock proteins play crucial roles in both parts of the biphasic life cycle, having an impact, both on the temperature-induced differentiation from the insect stage to the mammalian stage, and on the intracellular survival within the mammalian host. Heat shock proteins have also been implicated in the immune response to Leishmania infections and in the resistance of the parasites against chemotherapy.