Host Lipid Response in Tropical Diseases

Abstract

Herein, we summarize recent findings of novel lipid interactions between hosts and pathogens with the hope that further research is pursued in this emerging area of tropical disease lipidomics. Hard-to-treat tropical diseases may be viral, parasitic, or bacterial in origin. Primarily caused in regions with high population densities, the lack of rapid diagnostic methods, effective long-term treatment regimens, and a high transmission rate results in major public health burdens. Intracellular niches occupied by the various pathogens in the human host further complicates treatment, as these pathogens present unique metabolic requirements utilizing lipids that are not shared by other extracellular pathogenic microorganisms. Improved techniques for comprehensive lipid analysis have renewed interest in exploring the mechanisms of these host-parasite lipid interactions with a focus on the host during infections. Maturation of mass spectrometry techniques coupled to lipidomic data processing has enabled pinpointing altered fatty acid compositions during infection, which are indicative of alterations to various lipid classes, and thus yield a common motif taken by pathogens to evade the host immune system and spread. This commonality includes various mechanisms that hijack host cell cholesterol metabolism and triacylglycerol biosynthesis. Each pathogen modulates its own and hosts’ specific lipids as it occupies its host. Pathogens have distinctive interactions with the host lipidome for cell entry, scavenging for energy production, proliferation, and improved survival. These studies attempt to establish the foundational biochemical relationships that will either validate or suggest putative pathways, enhance diagnostics, evince novel therapeutic targets, and improve our overall understanding of these tropical diseases.