Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhou Huang, Hejun Liu, Jay Nix, Rui Xu, Catherine R. Knoverek, Gregory R. Bowman, Gaya K. Amarasinghe, L. David Sibley
Summary: The study revealed that the protein TgIST from Toxoplasma gondii blocks interferon-induced gene expression by binding to the STAT1 dimer interface, thus inhibiting the expression of immunity genes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Diego A. Lopez, Kelly S. Otsuka, April C. Apostol, Jasmine Posada, Juan C. Sanchez-Arcila, Kirk D. C. Jensen, Anna E. Beaudin
Summary: This study investigates the fetal hematopoietic response to maternal infection with Toxoplasma gondii. The results show that fetal HSCs respond to infection with changes in proliferation, self-renewal potential, and lineage output. Maternal IFN gamma crosses the fetal-maternal interface and is perceived by fetal HSCs.
Article
Immunology
Hironori Bando, Yasuhiro Fukuda, Nina Watanabe, Jeje Temitope Olawale, Kentaro Kato
Summary: This study reveals that abnormal glutamine metabolism induced by both interferon-gamma stimulation and Toxoplasma gondii infection triggers cyst formation in human neuroblastoma cells. The findings suggest that glutamine starvation in host cells is an important trigger of T. gondii stage conversion in human neurons.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Hugo Bisio, Aarti Krishnan, Jean-Baptiste Marq, Dominique Soldati-Favre
Summary: This study identifies the role of a type P4-ATPase and its chaperone CDC50 in regulating microneme exocytosis in apicomplexan parasites. The researchers found that this protein complex is responsible for maintaining the asymmetric distribution of phosphatidylserine in the parasite plasma membrane, which is crucial for microneme fusion with the plasma membrane. These findings highlight the importance of membrane homeostasis and lipid composition in controlling microneme secretion.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Zhuo-Er Qiu, Lei Chen, Xiao-Chun Hou, Jie Sheng, Jian-Bang Xu, Jia-Wen Xu, Dong-Dong Gao, Ze-Xin Huang, Tian-Lun Lei, Zi-Yang Huang, Lei Peng, Hai-Long Yang, Qin-Hua Lin, Yun-Xin Zhu, Wei-Jie Guan, Zhao-Rong Lun, Wen-Liang Zhou, Yi-Lin Zhang
Summary: This study revealed that infection with T. gondii leads to degradation of CFTR protein, increased intracellular chloride ion concentration, and activation of NF-KB signaling, resulting in sustained airway inflammation. In addition, allicin, a sulfur-containing compound, exhibits anti-inflammatory effects by activating CFTR protein and decreasing chloride ion concentration. These findings suggest that modulating chloride ion concentration could be a potential therapeutic target for pulmonary toxoplasmosis.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Sandeep Srivastava, Michael J. Holmes, Michael W. White, William J. Sullivan Jr
Summary: Cats are the only host for the sexually stage of Toxoplasma gondii, and a better understanding of the proteins controlling the parasite's life cycle stage transitions is needed for the development of new therapies for toxoplasmosis treatment and transmission prevention.
Article
Immunology
Angel K. Kongsomboonvech, Laura Garcia-Lopez, Ferdinand Njume, Felipe Rodriguez, Scott P. Souza, Alex Rosenberg, Kirk D. C. Jensen
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii induces a strong CD8 T cell response characterized by the secretion of IFN gamma. The initiation of CD8 T cell IFN gamma responses differs between clonal lineage strains, with type I strains being low inducers and types II and III strains being high inducers. Our study suggests that CD8 T cell IFN gamma production to T. gondii strains is regulated by multiple polymorphisms, including ROP16, which can influence the commitment of responding CD8 T cells to IFN gamma production.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Krista Fleck, Seth McNutt, Feixia Chu, Victoria Jeffers
Summary: TgBDP1 is a critical regulator of gene expression in Toxoplasma gondii and loss of TgBDP1 leads to global dysregulation of gene expression. TgBDP1 interacts with other bromodomain proteins and various transcriptional regulatory complexes.
Article
Microbiology
Tatiane S. Lima, Sharmila Mallya, Allen Jankeel, Ilhem Messaoudi, Melissa B. Lodoen
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii infection prolongs the lifespan of primary human neutrophils by inhibiting apoptosis mechanisms, which may help the parasite maintain an intracellular replicative niche.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Terence C. Theisen, John C. Boothroyd
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii has large gene families that are critical for supporting its host range. The SRS gene family encodes proteins involved in parasite attachment and evading the host immune response, but little is known about their function and expression profile. The expression of SRS genes is highly variable between parasites, even within the same parent, indicating that it is not stably inherited.
Article
Oncology
Yu-Chao Zhu, Hany M. Elsheikha, Jian-Hua Wang, Shuai Fang, Jun-Jun He, Xing-Quan Zhu, Jia Chen
Summary: The combination therapy of attenuated T. gondii RH Delta GRA17 strain and anti-PD-L1 treatment showed significant efficacy in extending survival and suppressing tumor growth in preclinical mouse models of melanoma, Lewis lung carcinoma, and colon adenocarcinoma. The treatment induced upregulation of innate and adaptive immune pathways, with complete regression of tumors associated with late interferon-gamma-producing CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells. This study suggests that intratumoral injection of Delta GRA17 can induce a systemic immune response, sensitize immunologically ‘cold’ tumors, and enhance their response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Pramod K. Rompikuntal, Robyn S. Kent, Ian T. Foe, Bin Deng, Matthew Bogyo, Gary E. Ward
Summary: The key binding element between TgMLC1 and TgGAP45 in the force transduction machinery of T. gondii was found to be the palmitoylation of C8 and C11 residues on TgMLC1, contradicting the current model. Surprisingly, mutations disrupting this binding had little impact on parasite motility, challenging the widely held linear motor model and emphasizing the need for further research on how apicomplexan parasites generate necessary forces for movement.
Article
Immunology
Meiyi Chen, Zha Jin, Qinqin Jin, Wei Liu, Xinxin Gao, Hongrong Hong, Yuxiao Qian, Yuqian Jiang, Quan Liu, Zhengkai Wei
Summary: This study found that Toxoplasma gondii can induce the release of heterophil extracellular traps (HETs) in chickens. HETs are composed of DNA, elastase, and citrullinated histone 3 (citH3), providing new insights into the chicken's innate immune mechanism against T. gondii infection.
PARASITE IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)