Gu茅rin Amandine
Amandine Gu茅rin
Title
Characterization of the human parasite Cryptosporidium
Short summary
Cryptosporidium is a leading cause of diarrheal diseases and death in infants, a burden for malnourished children and immunocompromised patients and no vaccine or efficient drugs are available. The parasite is an obligatory intracellular pathogen that infects specifically epithelial cells of the intestine and resides inside a parasitophorous vacuole. The parasite hijacks the host cell to its own advantage notably via the formation of a host actin pedestal and a complex interface underneath the parasite that contribute to its apical localization inside the host cell. Additional modifications of the host cell include the remodeling of membranes during invasion, the destabilization of epithelial cell junctions and the shortening of microvilli that contribute to the diarrheal symptoms. Subverting host cell functions is essential for Cryptosporidium invasion and survival but poorly characterized. Understanding how the parasite achieves it is fundamental to tackle this pathogen. The main goal of this research is to understand how Cryptosporidium manipulates its host cell through the characterization of parasite secreted effectors.