The evolution of macrophages has made them primordial for both development and
immunity. Their functions range from the shaping of body plans to the ingestion and …

Leishmania parasites are the causative agents of the leishmaniases, a collection of vector-
borne diseases that range from simple cutaneous to fatal visceral forms. Employing potent …

Protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania are transmitted by the bite of infected sand
flies leading to a wide range of diseases called leishmaniasis. Recently, we demonstrated …

Highlights•The GP63 metalloprotease selectively degrades molecules involved in
membrane trafficking and nuclear physiology.•Cleavage of VAMP8 and Syt XI disrupts cross …

Cytokines are pleiotropic polypeptides that control the development of and responses
mediated by immune cells. Cytokine classification predominantly relies on [1] the target …

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small, membrane-bound “delivery trucks” that are present in
the extracellular environment, including biological fluids. EVs are capable of inducing …

Colonization of host phagocytic cells by Leishmania metacyclic promastigotes involves
several parasite effectors, including the zinc-dependent metalloprotease GP63. The major …

Macrophages are mononuclear phagocytes that constitute a first line of defense against
pathogens. While lethal to many microbes, they are the primary host cells of Leishmania …

The protozoan Leishmania parasitizes macrophages and evades the microbicidal
consequences of phagocytosis through the inhibition of phagolysosome biogenesis. In this …

To colonize phagocytes, Leishmania subverts microbicidal processes through components
of its surface coat that include lipophosphoglycan and the GP63 metalloprotease. How these …