Article
Veterinary Sciences
Zhi-Wei Zhang, Ting-Ting Li, Jin-Lei Wang, Qin-Li Liang, Hai-Sheng Zhang, Li-Xiu Sun, Xing-Quan Zhu
Summary: This study investigated the functions of two thioredoxins in T. gondii tachyzoites and found that their deletion did not affect important characteristics such as replication, egress, plaque formation, resistance to H2O2, and maintenance of ROS level and T-AOC in the RH strain. These thioredoxins may not be essential for the RH strain but may have roles in other strains of T. gondii.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Jie Liu, Ting-Ting Li, Qin-Li Liang, Hany M. Elsheikha, Dan-Yu Zhao, Zhi-Wei Zhang, Xiao-Pei Xu, Xing-Quan Zhu, Meng Wang
Summary: This study investigated the role of lipid synthesis enzymes in the virulence and infectivity of Toxoplasma gondii, finding that the FabD protein plays a crucial role in the parasite's growth and virulence. Deletion of FabD led to reduced growth rate and virulence in Type II Pru strain of T. gondii.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Xiao-Jing Wu, Jin Gao, Xiao-Nan Zheng, Hany M. Elsheikha, Ting-Ting Li, Yong-Jie Kou, Meng Wang, Xing-Quan Zhu
Summary: The splicing factor SR2 plays a crucial role in the pathogenicity of T. gondii, with knockout of SR2 resulting in varying degrees of attenuated virulence.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Britta Beck, Thomas Grochow, Gereon Schares, Radu Blaga, Delphine Le Roux, Berit Bangoura, Arwid Daugschies, Simone A. Fietz
Summary: Toxoplasmosis is a global zoonotic disease caused by an intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Chickens, especially when free-range, are important hosts in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis and serve as sentinels for environmental contamination with T. gondii oocysts. This study found that T. gondii cysts are mainly located in the chicken forebrain in relatively low numbers compared to rodents, potentially explaining the rare occurrence of neurological deficits in infected chickens. Further research with different T. gondii strains and higher doses is needed to fully understand its cyst burden and distribution in the chicken brain.
VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Xunhui Zhuo, Kaige Du, Haojie Ding, Di Lou, Bin Zheng, Shaohong Lu
Summary: The study showed that a mutant with complete deletion of CPSII exhibited significantly reduced replication in vitro and decreased virulence in mice, leading to enhanced survival rates. This suggests that strains lacking the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway and salvage pathway may have potential as a live attenuated vaccine to prevent T. gondii infection.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kai Pascal Alexander Haenggeli, Andrew Hemphill, Norbert Mueller, Bernd Schimanski, Philipp Olias, Joachim Mueller, Ghalia Boubaker
Summary: In this study, single and duplex TaqMan qPCR methods were developed for the absolute quantification of integrated drug selectable marker mdhfr-ts in Toxoplasma gondii. The single TaqMan qPCR method should have twice the copy number of dhfr-ts as compared to WT parasites in KO parasites. The duplex TaqMan qPCR method can simultaneously amplify the dhfr-ts fragment and the 529-bp repeat element in T. gondii for accurate detection of KOs.
Article
Microbiology
Jin Gao, Xiao-Jing Wu, Xiao-Nan Zheng, Ting-Ting Li, Yong-Jie Kou, Xin-Cheng Wang, Meng Wang, Xing-Quan Zhu
Summary: This study investigates the biological functions of eight ZFP genes in the lytic cycle and pathogenicity of Toxoplasma gondii using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. The results show that certain ZFP genes play essential roles in the sexual reproductive stage of T. gondii, and RH Delta 273150 strain has significantly lower replication efficiency.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Wen Jiang, Mengyue Wang
Summary: Through studying the genotype of Toxoplasma gondii, it was found that there are genetic differences in Central and South America. From the perspective of pathogen virulence evolution, it is discovered that transmission route is a key factor causing global genetic differences in Toxoplasma gondii, and the diversity of hosts does not always increase its virulence differences. The reproductive mode of Toxoplasma gondii and frequent human trades are prerequisites for the development of its virulence.
APPLIED MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
(2023)
Article
Immunology
David Arranz-Solis, Jeroen P. J. Saeij
Summary: Toxoplasmosis is a global disease that affects both animals and humans. Previous attempts at developing vaccines have had limited success in providing full and lasting protection. Using mutant strains or vaccines based on recombinant proteins or DNA have shown lower efficacy. New genetic engineering tools have been explored to design live-attenuated vaccines based on tissue cysts and oocysts, which are the chronic forms of the parasite that can survive in the environment. Selectively disrupting genes important for parasite dissemination and formation of cysts or invasion of sporozoites may lead to the development of a vaccine that provides both immunity and prevents transmission of Toxoplasma.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew L. Blank, Jing Xia, Mary M. Morcos, Mai Sun, Pamela S. Cantrell, Yang Liu, Xuemei Zeng, Cameron J. Powell, Nathan Yates, Martin J. Boulanger, Jon P. Boyle
Summary: Research identified interactions between a single parasite effector and multiple target host proteins at the interface between the Toxoplasma gondii vacuole and the host mitochondria, some of which are critical for the HMA phenotype itself.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Elizabeth N. Rudzki, Stephanie E. Ander, Rachel S. Coombs, Hisham S. Alrubaye, Leah F. Cabo, Matthew L. Blank, Nicolas Gutierrez-Melo, J. P. Dubey, Carolyn B. Coyne, Jon P. Boyle
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii infection induces significant production of the critical chemokine CCL22 in placental and immune cells, driven almost entirely by the parasite effector gene GRA28. Parasites lacking GRA28 show impaired dissemination within the host, highlighting a direct relationship between CCL22 levels and parasite infectivity.
Article
Microbiology
Rebekah B. Guevara, Barbara A. Fox, David J. Bzik
Summary: The research found that genes related to GRA12 play significant roles in both acute and chronic stages of infection, contributing to the formation, maintenance, and reactivation of chronic stage cysts.
Review
Immunology
Kun Yin, Chao Xu, Guihua Zhao, Huanhuan Xie
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii has a complex life cycle and can infect a wide range of warm-blooded animals globally. Infection by this parasite has been linked to various psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and suicide. The mechanism behind the parasite's manipulation effects has not been fully elucidated. Recent research suggests that neuroendocrine programs and neurotransmitter imbalance may play a key role in this process. Additionally, studying the expression patterns of host genes, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and mRNAs provides new insights into understanding the neurotransmitter dysfunction induced by parasite manipulation.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Ming Pan, Ceng-Ceng Ge, Yi-Min Fan, Qi-Wang Jin, Bang Shen, Si-Yang Huang
Summary: This article reviews recent advances in the study of bradyzoite biology and stage conversion of Toxoplasma gondii, aiming to highlight the determinants associated with bradyzoite development and provide insights for better strategies on controlling toxoplasmosis.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ragab M. Fereig, Yoshifumi Nishikawa
Summary: In this study, the cyto-nuclear and mitochondrial localization of TgPrx1 and TgPrx3 proteins in Toxoplasma gondii were revealed. Knocking out TgPrx1 and TgPrx3 genes in T. gondii resulted in decreased survival rate in mice infected with TgPrx3KO strain compared to TgPrx1KO and control strains. Additionally, TgPrx1KO and TgPrx3KO induced high levels of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and increased IL-6 and IL-12p40 production in infected mice and murine macrophages. These findings suggest that TgPrx3 may be a potential sub-unit vaccine candidate for controlling toxoplasmosis in susceptible humans and animals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
