LmABCB3, an atypical mitochondrial ABC transporter essential for Leishmania major virulence, acts in heme and cytosolic iron/sulfur clusters biogenesis

Background Mitochondria play essential biological functions including the synthesis and trafficking of porphyrins and iron/sulfur clusters (ISC), processes that in mammals involve the mitochondrial ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters ABCB6 and ABCB7, respectively. The mitochondrion of pathogenic protozoan parasites such as Leishmania is a promising goal for new therapeutic approaches. Leishmania infects human macrophages producing the neglected tropical disease known as leishmaniasis. Like most trypanosomatid parasites, Leishmania is auxotrophous for heme and must acquire porphyrins from the host.