Analysis of the protein profile of Trypanosoma cruzi strains (ZIII)

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is widely distributed throughout the American continent. Using various molecular biology techniques, a clear dimorphism was observed between the isolates, leading to the grouping of strains into two major phylogenetic lineages: T. cruzi I (correlated with ZI) and T. cruzi II (correlated with ZII). A phylogenetic dendrogram based on some genomic targets revealed a clear dichotomy in ZIII, defining two subgroups (ZIII-A and ZIII-B). Thus, proteomic analysis of strains belonging to ZIII in comparison with T. cruzi I and II may contribute to elucidating this issue. The main objective of this study is to define the soluble protein map of strains belonging to zimodema III (3663 - ZIII-A and 4167 - ZIII-B), highlighting the differences between the ZIII-A and ZII-B subgroups. The results define the proteomic map and classification of some proteins from ZIII isolates considering the genomic subgroups circulating in nature.