Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Induces Pannexin-1 Channel Opening in Cardiac Myocytes

Abstract. Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas diseases, invades the cardiac tissue causing acute myocarditis and heart electrical disturbances. In T. cruzi invasion, the parasite induces [Ca2+]i transients in the host cells, an essential phenomenon for invasion. To date, knowledge on the mechanism that elicits transients of [Ca2+]i during the infection of cardiac myocytes has not been fully characterized. Pannexin1 (Panx1) channel are poorly selective channels found in all vertebrates that serve as a pathway for ATP release. In this article, we demonstrate that T. cruzi infection results in the opening of Panx1 channels in cardiac myocytes. We show that pharmacological blockade of Panx1 channels inhibits T. cruzi–induced [Ca2+]i transients and invasion in cardiac myocytes. Our results indicate that opening of Panx1 channels are required for T. cruzi invasion in cardiac myocytes, and we propose that targeting Panx1 channel could provide new potential therapeutic approaches to treat Chagas disease.