Anti-Parasitic Activity of ssDNA-Aptamers Targeting the Poly(A)-Binding Protein in Leishmania donovani Promastigotes

Background

Visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani still depends on a small group of drugs whose value is diminished by toxicity, cost and resistance, so targets specific to the parasite remain attractive. The cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) of Leishmania governs mRNA stability and translation, processes on which these parasites lean heavily because they lack conventional transcriptional control.