The trans-sialidase from Trypanosoma cruzi (TcTS), the agent of Chagas' disease, is a unique enzyme involved in mammalian host-cell invasion. Since T. cruzi is unable to synthesize sialic acids de novo, TcTS catalyzes the transfer of α-(2→ 3)-sialyl residues from the glycoconjugates of the host to terminal β-galactopyranosyl units present on the surface of the parasite. TcTS also plays a key role in the immunomodulation of the infected host. ...
