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Biology of Parasitism
Click here to find out why we are the coolest parasitology lab! We were the contest winners at the Molecular Parasitology Meeting 2020!

Parasitism is the ability of an organism to exploit its host. The African trypanosome is a single-celled parasite responsible for a fatal disease in humans (sleeping sickness) and a chronic disease in cattle (Nagana). Our group is interested in understanding the disease mechanisms caused by two species of African trypanosomes (Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma congolense), characterizing both parasite and host factors. Our group has two main interests:

TISSUE TROPISM - We have recently discovered that adipose tissue is an important reservoir of parasites in mouse infection and that the parasites adapt functionally to the tissue (1, 2). These unexpected observations raised important questions. How do parasites move between tissues? What is the selective advantage to accumulate in this tissue? Are parasites equally susceptible to drug treatment? Is adipose tissue an immunologically inactive organ (3)? How do parasites enter or leave tissues (2)? What is the heterogeneity of the parasite population in each tissue?

GENE REGULATION and ANTIGENIC VARIATION – Our group are interested in understanding the mechanisms that regulate antigenic variation, a process that allows trypanosomes to escape the host's immune response (4). Currently, we are interested in understanding the importance of non-coding RNAs (5) and epigenetic modifications in the regulation of genes underlying antigenic variation (6).

In 2017, our laboratory was awarded an ERC consolidation grant. Previous grants were from HHMI, EMBO, FCT and Gulbenkian. Students and post-docs have been awarded fellowships from Marie Curie, Human Frontiers and FCT.

Follow us onTwitter (@luisamfigueired).

Research Team

Abdulbasit Amin
Lab Technician
aamin@medicina.ulisboa.pt

Christoph Wenzl
PhD Student
cwenzl@medicina.ulisboa.pt

David Ferreira
Lab Technician
davidferreira@medicina.ulisboa.pt

Hugo Luiz
MSc Student
hugo.luiz@medicina.ulisboa.pt

Lara López Escobar
PhD Student
lara.lopezescobar@medicina.ulisboa.pt

Leonor Pinho
Lab Manager
lpinho@medicina.ulisboa.pt

Lúcia Serra
PhD Student
lucia.serra@medicina.ulisboa.pt

Michal Grzegorz Malecki
Postdoctoral Researcher
mmalecki@medicina.ulisboa.pt

Sandra Trindade
Senior Postdoctoral Researcher
strindade@medicina.ulisboa.pt

Sara Silva Pereira
Visiting Researcher
ssilvapereira@medicina.ulisboa.pt

Research Areas

  • Molecular mecanisms of gene expression
  • Biology of extra-vascular parasites
  • Circadian rhythm of parasites and host

Ongoing Research Projects

2019/2023 Cell2Cell: What makes a successful pathogen? Understanding the impact of cell-to-cell heterogeneity in chromatin structure on infection and adaptation. Coordinator Luísa Figueiredo. Funding Agency: European Commission.

2019/2021 TRYPTISSUE: Characterising Trypanosoma tissue tropism: new perspectives for variant surface glycoproteins. Coordinator: Luísa Figueiredo. Funding Agency: European Commission.

2019/2021 HFSP fellowship - Human Frontier Science Program. Coordinator: Mariana De Niz. Funding Agency: Human Frontier Science Program.

2018/2022 FatTryp: Exploring the hidden life of African trypanosomes: parasite fat tropism and implications for disease. Coordinator: Luísa Figueiredo. Funding Agency: European Commission.

2018/2021 FatReservoir: Importância dos Reservatórios de Parasitas Extravasculares em Gado e Modelos Laboratoriais de Ratinhos. Coordinator: Sandra Trindade. Funding Agency: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.

2018/2021 Quando a célula hospedeira já não é tão acolhedora...uma quebra de energia ou um aumento da toxicidade? Coordinator: João Rodrigues. Funding Agency: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.

Awards

2023 Luísa Figueiredo was elected Member of EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization)

2020 "la Caixa" Foundation - Health Research 2020 Award

2012 HHMI International Early Career Scientist (Luísa Figueiredo)

2010 Crioestaminal Award (Luísa Figueiredo)

2002 Award from the American Society for Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, in recognition of scientific excellence in Molecular, Cellular and Immunoparasitology (Luísa Figueiredo)

Selected Publications

Trindade S, De Niz M, Costa-Sequeira M, Bizarra-Rebelo T, Bento F, Dejung M, Valido Narciso M, Lopez-Escobar L, Ferreira J, Butter F, Bringaud F, Gjini E* & Figueiredo LM*. (2022) Slow growing behavior in African trypanosomes during adipose tissue colonization. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34622-w

Silva Pereira S, De Niz M, Serre K, Ouarné M, Coelho JE, Franco CA, Figueiredo LM*. (2022) Immunopathology and Trypanosoma congolense parasite sequestration cause acute cerebral trypanosomiasis. eLife 5;11:e77440. doi: 10.7554/eLife.77440.

Guegan F, Rajan KS, Bento F, Pinto-Neves D, Sequeira M, Gumińska N, Mroczek S, Dziembowski A, Cohen-Chalamish S, Doniger T, Galili B, Estévez AM, Notredame C, Michaeli S, Figueiredo LM*. (2022) A long non-coding RNA controls parasite differentiation in African trypanosomes. Science Advances 17;8(24):eabn2706. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn2706.

Viegas IJ, de Macedo JP, Serra L, De Niz M, Temporão A, Silva Pereira S, Mirza AH, Bergstrom E, Rodrigues JA, Aresta-Branco F, Jaffrey SR, Figueiredo LM*. (2022) N6-methyladenosine in poly(A) tails stabilize VSG transcripts. Nature 604(7905):362-370. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04544-0.

De Niz M, Brás D, Ouarné M, Pedro M, Nascimento AM, Henao Misikova L, Franco CA, Figueiredo LM*. (2021) Organotypic endothelial adhesion molecules are key for Trypanosoma brucei tropism and virulence. Cell Reports 21;36(12):109741.doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109741.

Rijo-Ferreira F, Carvalho T, Afonso C, Sanches-Vaz M, Costa RM, Figueiredo LM* and Takahashi JS*. (2018) Sleeping sickness is a circadian disorder. Nature Communications; 9: 62. doi: 10.3109/07420529908998722.

Rijo-Ferreira F, Pinto-Neves D, Barbosa-Morais NL, Takahashi JS* & Figueiredo LM*. (2017) Trypanosoma brucei metabolism is under circadian control. Nature Microbiology; 2:17032. doi: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.32.

Trindade S & Rijo-Ferreira F, Carvalho T, Pinto-Neves D, Guegan F, Aresta-Branco F, Bento F, Young SA, Pinto A, Van Den Abbeele J, Ribeiro RM, Dias S, Smith TK, Figueiredo LM*. (2016) Trypanosoma brucei parasites occupy and functionally adapt to the adipose tissue in mice. Cell Host and Microbe; 19 (6): 837–848. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2016.05.002.

group leader : Luísa Miranda Figueiredo
about
  • Group Leader at iMM since 2009
  • EMBO Member (elected 2023)
  • Research Associate at The Rockefeller University, New York, USA (2008-2009)
  • Postdoctoral research at The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
  • PhD from Universidade do Porto and Institut Pasteur, France (2002)