RNA viruses in trypanosomatid parasites: a historical overview

Viruses of trypanosomatids are now being extensively studied because of their diversity and the roles they play in flagellates’ biology. Among the most prominent examples are leishmaniaviruses implicated in pathogenesis of Leishmania parasites. Here, we present a historical overview of this field, starting with early reports of virus-like particles on electron microphotographs, and culminating in detailed molecular descriptions of viruses obtained using modern next generation sequencing-based techniques. Because of their diversity, different life cycle strategies and host specificity, we believe that trypanosomatids are a fertile ground for further explorations to better understand viral evolution, routes of transitions, and molecular mechanisms of adaptation to different hosts.

由于锥虫体（trypanosomatids）病毒的多样性及其在鞭毛虫生物学中所发挥的关键作用，目前学界正对其展开广泛研究。其中最具代表性的案例，便是与利什曼原虫（Leishmania）致病机制相关的利什曼原虫病毒（leishmaniaviruses）。本文将对该领域展开历史性回顾，从早期通过电子显微照片报道病毒样颗粒的研究起步，最终落脚于借助现代下一代测序（next generation sequencing）技术获取的病毒详细分子特征解析。鉴于锥虫体病毒兼具多样性、差异化的生命周期策略与宿主特异性，我们认为该类群是开展后续探索的优质研究载体，可助力我们更深入地理解病毒演化、过渡路径以及适应不同宿主的分子机制。