EGR1 and infection: To identify the molecular mechanisms that could be activated in PHCF and regulated by DE piRNAs induced during the early phase of cellular infection by T. cruzi, we used the GeneMANIA algorithm to construct two biological interaction networks based on adhesion molecule and chemokine expression (ICAM1, CX3CL1, CXCR2) and the AP-1 transcription factor family (FOS, SMAD2, EGR1).