Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elea A. Renaud, Sarah Pamukcu, Aude Cerutti, Laurence Berry, Catherine Lemaire-Vieille, Yoshiki Yamaryo-Botte, Cyrille Y. Botte, Sebastien Besteiro
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii, a parasitic protozoan, possesses a plastid that plays crucial roles in several metabolic pathways, including iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis. Disrupting these pathways severely impacts the parasite's growth and cellular functions, including membrane homeostasis and motility. The plastid-generated iron-sulfur clusters are essential for the functions of proteins involved in various vital pathways, suggesting the SUF machinery as potential targets for anti-Toxoplasma strategies.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Parasitology
Daniel Walsh, Nicholas J. Katris, Lilach Sheiner, Cyrille Y. Botte
Summary: Apicomplexan parasites have complex metabolic networks that coordinate the acquisition of metabolites from the host. Toxoplasma gondii relies on the flexibility of this network to adapt to different hosts. The availability of nutrients in the host environment determines the requirement of metabolic pathways, which may redefine priorities for drug target identification in a clinical setting.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sanghun Baek, Sousuke Imamura, Takeshi Higa, Yumi Nakai, Kan Tanaka, Masato Nakai
Summary: This study reveals the involvement of similar translocon complexes in chloroplast protein import in red algae, and identifies a class of GTP-binding proteins that may function as plastid targeting factors in Rhodophyta.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Marta Walczak, Thomas R. Meister, Hoa Mai Nguyen, Yili Zhu, Sebastien Besteiro, Ellen Yeh
Summary: The most extensively studied role of Atg8 proteins is in autophagy. However, they also have other nonautophagic functions critical to cell function and disease pathogenesis that are understudied compared to their canonical role in autophagy. Atg8 family proteins are highly conserved eukaryotic proteins with diverse autophagy and nonautophagic functions in eukaryotes. The molecular changes that facilitated acquisition of divergent, nonautophagic functions of Atg8 are not well known.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chia- Yun Chang, Lih- Jen Chen, Hsou- min Li
Summary: Protein import into chloroplasts is driven by ATP hydrolysis in the stroma. The Ycf2-FtsHi complex was found to be important for protein import and the mechanistic understanding of this motor needs further investigation. In this study, membrane association and topology analyses on FtsHi1 and FtsHi2 revealed FtsHi1 as an integral membrane protein located in the intermembrane space and FtsHi2 as a soluble protein in the stroma. These findings suggest that the current model of a single membrane-anchored pulling motor at the stromal side needs revision and indicate potential additional functions of the Ycf2-FtsHi complex.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Hilary Montano, Ramu Anandkrishnan, Vern B. B. Carruthers, Rajshekhar Y. Y. Gaji
Summary: Protein kinases of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, especially TgTKL4, play important roles in regulating parasite motility, invasion, replication, egress, and survival within the host. Disruption of TgTKL4 results in replication and invasion defects, leading to altered parasite morphology and reduced virulence. The study provides insights into TgTKL4 as a fitness-determining factor for Toxoplasma propagation and pathogenesis.
Article
Cell Biology
Sreedhar Nellaepalli, Anne Sophie Lau, R. Paul Jarvis
Summary: Chloroplasts play a crucial role in photosynthesis and other metabolic and signaling processes for plant growth and development. This article presents the mechanistic details of protein import and the regulation of chloroplast proteins by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS).
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Sreedhar Nellaepalli, Anne Sophie Lau, R. Paul Jarvis
Summary: Chloroplasts are important organelles for photosynthesis and various metabolic and signaling processes. Most chloroplast proteins are encoded by the nucleus and need to be imported from the cytosol. The protein import machinery and the ubiquitin-proteasome system play crucial roles in regulating chloroplast biogenesis and protein homeostasis.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
William J. Moss, Caitlyn E. Patterson, Alexander K. Jochmans, Kevin M. Brown
Summary: The study identifies TgPDE1 and TgPDE2 as central regulators of cyclic nucleotide levels in Toxoplasma, playing important roles in parasite motility and growth. Understanding the functions and regulatory mechanisms of these enzymes could lead to the development of new therapies for apicomplexan infections.
Review
Microbiology
Julie M. J. Verhoef, Markus Meissner, Taco W. A. Kooij
Summary: Apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum replicate through different methods and require tightly coordinated organelle division and distribution. While proper organelle segregation is crucial, the molecular mechanisms and key proteins involved are still largely unknown.
Article
Microbiology
Lauren M. Hawkins, Anatoli V. Naumov, Mrinalini Batra, Changqi Wang, Dale Chaput, Elena S. Suvorova
Summary: This study investigates the process of endodyogeny in Toxoplasma gondii and discovers a novel parasite-specific complex, TgCrk6/TgCyc1, that regulates the spindle assembly checkpoint. The study demonstrates the involvement of parasite-specific tasks in the canonical checkpoint functions and provides insights into the unique replication mechanisms of Apicomplexa parasites.
Article
Cell Biology
Jiawen Fu, Lin Zhao, Yu Pang, Heming Chen, Hayashi Yamamoto, Yuntong Chen, Zhaoran Li, Noboru Mizushima, Honglin Jia
Summary: This study identified the presence of the ATG12-ATG5-ATG16L complex in apicomplexan parasites and demonstrated its crucial role in the biogenesis of the apicoplast. Additionally, the study revealed that the SNARE protein TgSNAP29 plays a key role in maintaining the apicoplast.
Article
Microbiology
Samira Abdulai-Saiku, Ajai Vyas
Summary: Infection with the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii leads to an increase in oxytocin and its receptors in female rats, potentially altering activity in social salience circuits and reducing defensive behaviors while increasing approach to ambivalent environmental cues. This sexually dimorphic neural change underpins sexually monomorphic host behavioral changes in this host-parasite association.
Article
Biology
Samuel James Watson, Na Li, Yiting Ye, Feijie Wu, Qihua Ling, R. Paul Jarvis
Summary: The stability of the TOC complex, a key protein channel for chloroplast import, can be regulated by the ubiquitin-dependent pathway as well as the SUMO system. Inhibiting SUMO tagging results in increased TOC protein levels and improved chloroplast development, potentially impacting the growth performance of crops.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chen Wan, Hui Zhang, Hongying Cheng, Robert G. Sowden, Wenjuan Cai, R. Paul Jarvis, Qihua Ling
Summary: This study reveals that the translocon at the outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts (TOC) can undergo K63-linked polyubiquitination and regulation by selective autophagy, potentially enhancing stress tolerance in plants. The selective autophagy adaptor NBR1 is found to target TOC components and mediate their relocation into vacuoles for autophagic degradation. This selective autophagy controls TOC protein levels, chloroplast protein import, and affects photosynthetic activity, UV-B irradiation, and heat stress tolerance in Arabidopsis plants.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ujjini H. Manjunatha, Sumiti Vinayak, Jennifer A. Zambriski, Alexander T. Chao, Tracy Sy, Christian G. Noble, Ghislain M. C. Bonamy, Ravinder R. Kondreddi, Bin Zou, Peter Gedeck, Carrie F. Brooks, Gillian T. Herbert, Adam Sateriale, Jayesh Tandel, Susan Noh, Suresh B. Lakshminarayana, Siau H. Lim, Laura B. Goodman, Christophe Bodenreider, Gu Feng, Lijun Zhang, Francesca Blasco, Juergen Wagner, F. Joel Leong, Boris Striepen, Thierry T. Diagana
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexis R. Gibson, Boris Striepen
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael J. Cipriano, Stephen L. Hajduk
EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES AND MECHANISMS OF CELL-CELL COMMUNICATION
(2018)
Article
Microbiology
Marco Biddau, Anne Bouchut, Jack Major, Tracy Saveria, Julie Tottey, Ojore Oka, Marcel van-Lith, Katherine Elizabeth Jennings, Jana Ovciarikova, Amy DeRocher, Boris Striepen, Ross Frederick Waller, Marilyn Parsons, Lilach Sheiner
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Beatriz Baragana, Barbara Forte, Ryan Choi, Stephen Nakazawa Hewitt, Juan A. Bueren-Calabuig, Joao Pedro Pisco, Caroline Peet, David M. Dranow, David A. Robinson, Chimed Jansen, Neil R. Norcross, Sumiti Vinayak, Mark Anderson, Carrie F. Brooks, Caitlin A. Cooper, Sebastian Damerow, Michael Delves, Karen Dowers, James Duffy, Thomas E. Edwards, Irene Hallyburton, BenjaminG. Horst, Matthew A. Hulverson, Liam Ferguson, Maria Belen Jimenez-Diaz, Rajiv S. Jumani, Donald D. Lorimer, Melissa S. Love, Steven Maher, Holly Matthews, Casew. McNamara, Peter Miller, Sandra O'Neill, Kayode K. Ojo, Maria Osuna-Cabello, Erika Pinto, John Post, Jennifer Riley, Matthias Rottmann, Laura M. Sanz, Paul Scullion, Arvind Sharma, Sharon M. Shepherd, Yoko Shishikura, Frederick R. C. Simeons, Erin E. Stebbins, Laste Stojanovski, Ursula Straschil, Fabio K. Tamaki, Jevgenia Tamjar, Leah S. Torrie, Amelie Vantaux, Benoit Witkowski, Sergio Wittlin, Manickam Yogavel, Fabio Zuccotto, Inigo Angulo-Barturen, Robert Sinden, Jake Baum, Francisco-Javier Gamo, Pascal Maser, Dennis E. Kyle, Elizabeth A. Winzeler, Peter J. Myler, Paul G. Wyatt, David Floyd, David Matthews, Amit Sharmao, Boris Striepen, Christopher D. Huston, David W. Gray, Alan H. Fairlamb, Andrei V. Pisliakov, Chris Walpole, Kevin D. Read, Wesley C. Van Voorhis, Ian H. Gilbert
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2019)
Article
Microbiology
Adam Sateriale, Jan Slapeta, Rodrigo Baptista, Julie B. Engiles, Jodi A. Gullicksrud, Gillian T. Herbert, Carrie F. Brooks, Emily M. Kugler, Jessica C. Kissinger, Christopher A. Hunter, Boris Striepen
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elizabeth D. English, Boris Striepen
Article
Microbiology
Jayesh Tandel, Elizabeth D. English, Adam Sateriale, Jodi A. Gullicksrud, Daniel P. Beiting, Megan C. Sullivan, Brittain Pinkston, Boris Striepen
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Catherine Suarez, Gaelle Lentini, Raghavendran Ramaswamy, Marjorie Maynadier, Eleonora Aquilini, Laurence Berry-Sterkers, Michael Cipriano, Allan L. Chen, Peter Bradley, Boris Striepen, Martin J. Boulanger, Maryse Lebrun
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elizabeth D. English, Amandine Guerin, Jayesh Tandel, Boris Striepen
Summary: Cryptosporidium is a significant cause of diarrhea around the world, affecting children's mortality and nutrition. The parasite's life cycle unfolds in less than 3 days in a single host, without the need for environmental stimuli. This study investigates the cell division of asexual and sexual stage parasites and establishes a life cycle model that contradicts the traditional coccidian life cycle.
Review
Immunology
Ian S. Cohn, Sarah E. Henrickson, Boris Striepen, Christopher A. Hunter
Summary: Cryptosporidium is a common parasite that infects gut cells and causes diarrhea, which can be chronic and life-threatening in individuals with compromised immune function. Certain immune deficiencies are associated with increased risk of severe cryptosporidiosis. Understanding the impact of different immune deficiencies on the risk of Cryptosporidium infection can reveal parasite restriction mechanisms and help identify new strategies to manage this common pathogen.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Amandine Guerin, Katherine M. Strelau, Konstantin Barylyuk, Bethan A. Wallbank, Laurence Berry, Oliver M. Crook, Kathryn S. Lilley, Ross F. Waller, Boris Striepen
Summary: This study reveals the process of how Cryptosporidium invades and remodels intestinal epithelial cells to establish a complex interface structure. By generating a whole-cell spatial proteome and using genetic and cell biological experimentation, the study identifies secreted effector proteins and discovers multiple organelles, including a novel secretory organelle. It also demonstrates that secreted proteins contribute to the assembly of different structures at the parasite-host interface, allowing Cryptosporidium to subjugate its host cell.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jayesh Tandel, Katelyn A. Walzer, Jessica H. Byerly, Brittain Pinkston, Daniel P. Beiting, Boris Striepen
Summary: The parasite Cryptosporidium infects millions of people worldwide each year, leading to life-threatening diarrheal disease. Infection occurs via ingestion of oocysts and transmission relies on fecal shedding of new oocysts. The transcription factor AP2-F is essential for oocyst shedding and controls the transcription of genes encoding crystalloid body proteins, which are exclusively expressed in female gametes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew Martinez, Shrawan Kumar Mageswaran, Amandine Guerin, William David Chen, Cameron Parker Thompson, Sabine Chavin, Dominique Soldati-Favre, Boris Striepen, Yi-Wei Chang
Summary: This study visualizes the F-actin architecture in Cryptosporidium parvum and Toxoplasma gondii using cryo-ET, revealing the subcellular origin and path of F-actin during gliding motility. The findings provide important insights into the invasion mechanism of these apicomplexan parasites.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ian H. Gilbert, Sumiti Vinayak, Boris Striepen, Ujjini H. Manjunatha, Ibrahim A. Khalil, Wesley C. Van Voorhis