JUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION IN MACROPHAGES: ALTERATIONS IN THE INFLAMMATORY INFECTIOUS PROCESS WITH Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. This protozoan having a high prevalence worldwide, where it is believed to have infected one third of the world`s population, causing great morbidity and mortality. Given the complexity of this disease, several studies have been dedicated to the study of structures that are associated with parasitic diseases. Among these structures are the Gap Junctions, which are responsible for the exchange of ions and small messengers that maintain tissue homeostasis. These transmembrane channels play an important role in intercellular communication in different cell types, including macrophages. With this, the morphological and functional characterization of gap junctions in macrophages formed by connexin 43 has been the subject of study by several groups, but their regulatory mechanisms still deserve clarification, especially in the face of pathological changes, such as in infectious- inflammatory processes caused by T. gondii.