Cytoskeletal Components of an Invasion Machine—The Apical Complex of Toxoplasma gondii

PLoS Pathogens

Camille DiLullo¹  Sapna Suravajjala²  David S Roos²  John M Murray³  Jeff Johnson⁴  John Yates⁴  Ke Hu⁴  Martin Fraunholz⁵  Laurence Florens⁶ 

[1] Department of Anatomy, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America;Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America;Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America;Department of Cell Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America;Institute of Microbiology, E.-M.-Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany;The Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America

关键词: Toxoplasma gondii;    Cytoskeleton;    Parasite replication;    Centrioles;    Parasitic diseases;    Cellular structures;    organelles;    Motor proteins;    Cytoskeletal proteins;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.0020013

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

The apical complex of Toxoplasma gondii is widely believed to serve essential functions in both invasion of its host cells (including human cells), and in replication of the parasite. The understanding of apical complex function, the basis for its novel structure, and the mechanism for its motility are greatly impeded by lack of knowledge of its molecular composition. We have partially purified the conoid/apical complex, identified ~200 proteins that represent 70% of its cytoskeletal protein components, characterized seven novel proteins, and determined the sequence of recruitment of five of these proteins into the cytoskeleton during cell division. Our results provide new markers for the different subcompartments within the apical complex, and revealed previously unknown cellular compartments, which facilitate our understanding of how the invasion machinery is built. Surprisingly, the extreme apical and extreme basal structures of this highly polarized cell originate in the same location and at the same time very early during parasite replication.

【 授权许可】

CC BY