Leishmania development in sand flies involves critical attachment steps to the midgut epithelium and the stomodeal valve, mediated by parasite- and vector-derived molecules. Initial midgut attachment prevents parasite loss during defecation and determines vector competence. In specific vectors like Phlebotomus papatasi, attachment involves galectins and Leishmania lipophosphoglycan, while in permissive species like Lutzomyia longipalpis, mucin adhesion dominates. Later, promastigotes adhere to the stomodeal valve, forming adhesion plaques, which in combination with the promastigote secretory gel (PSG) blocks the gut and promotes transmission. Recent studies identified three flagellar proteins (KIAP1-3) crucial for plaque formation. Knockouts of KIAPs prevented stomodeal valve colonization and PSG production, likely impacting parasite transmission. Thus, KIAPs are essential for late-stage Leishmania development in sand flies.

Department of Biological and Medical Sciences Oxford Brookes University Oxford UK

Department of Biological and Medical Sciences Oxford Brookes University Oxford UK; School of Life Sciences University of Nottingham Nottingham UK; Department of Genetics Genomics and Cancer Sciences University of Leicester Leicester UK

Department of Parasitology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic

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Recent advances in Phlebotomine sand fly research: a review based on studies presented at ISOPS XI