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
Immunology
Ahlam Elmasry, Wafaa A. Aboukamar, Heba Hany, Manar S. Elmehankar
Summary: The study found that Roflumilast has a potential effect on the tachyzoite-bradyzoite transition in toxoplasmosis. The group treated earlier with 10 mg/kg of Roflumilast showed the best results, significantly reducing T. gondii cyst count, size, and IL-12 level.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Erica S. Martins-Duarte, Juliana de Araujo Portes, Ramon Borges da Silva, Hugo Silva Pires, Simon J. Garden, Wanderley de Souza
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasitic disease worldwide, with limited therapy options. Chemical modification of 1,10-phenanthroline to new derivatives has significantly improved anti-T. gondii activity, potentially serving as lead compounds for the treatment of acute and chronic phases of toxoplasmosis.
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Sarah Pamukcu, Aude Cerutti, Yann Bordat, Sonia Hem, Valerie Rofidal, Sebastien Besteiro
Summary: Disrupting the iron-sulfur cluster synthesis pathways in Toxoplasma gondii has a significant impact on parasite growth, with disruption of the plastidic pathway leading to organelle loss and parasite death, while disruption of the mitochondrial pathway triggers differentiation into a stress resistance stage. This study highlights the different contributions of these pathways to parasite biology and the potential for adaptive survival strategies in response to metabolic dysregulations.
Article
Microbiology
Shu Ye, Matteo Lunghi, Dominique Soldati-Favre
Summary: This study identifies a novel component, SLF, of a guanylate cyclase complex in Toxoplasma gondii that is essential for both acute infection and natural oral infection through the dissemination and persistence of tissue cysts.
Article
Immunology
Ana Carolina de Morais Oliveira-Scussel, Paula Tatiana Mutao Ferreira, Renata de Souza Resende, Cristhianne Molinero Ratkevicius-Andrade, Angelica de Oliveira Gomes, Marina Carvalho Paschoini, Fernanda Bernadelli De Vito, Thais Soares Farnesi-de-Assuncao, Marcos Vinicius da Silva, Jose Roberto Mineo, Denise Bertulucci Rocha Rodrigues, Virmondes Rodrigues
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the specific immune response of pregnant women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), as well as the humoral response of their respective newborns. The results showed that GDM group had decreased levels of anti-T. gondii antibodies and IgG avidity compared to the control group. Additionally, the cellular immune responses in the GDM group were also decreased, indicating an association between GDM and the negative modulation of the immune responses against T. gondii.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kim Chi Vo, Liberta Ruga, Olympia Ekaterini Psathaki, Rico Franzkoch, Ute Distler, Stefan Tenzer, Michael Hensel, Peter Hegemann, Nishith Gupta
Summary: This study reveals the catalytic function, subcellular localization, and drug inhibition of key phosphodiesterases in Toxoplasma gondii, highlighting the unexpected plasticity and therapeutic potential of cyclic nucleotide signaling in the parasite.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sunil Kumar Dogga, Matteo Lunghi, Bohumil Maco, Jiagui Li, Beatrice Claudi, Jean-Baptiste Marq, Natalia Chicherova, Tobias Kockmann, Dirk Bumann, Adrian B. Hehl, Dominique Soldati-Favre, Pierre-Mehdi Hammoudi
Summary: Virulence and persistence of Toxoplasma gondii involve the secretion and cleavage of effector proteins by the aspartyl protease 5 (ASP5), which play important roles in host defense modulation and cyst wall formation. The absence of ASP5 impairs cyst wall formation and reduces cyst burden in chronically infected animals.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Anatoli V. Naumov, Chengqi Wang, Dale Chaput, Li-Min Ting, Carmelo A. Alvarez, Thomas Keller, Ahmed Ramadan, Michael W. White, Kami Kim, Elena S. Suvorova
Summary: In this study, the central machinery of the T. gondii restriction checkpoint was identified, consisting of TgCrk2 kinase and three atypical T. gondii cyclins. The study revealed the independent roles of TgCycP1, TgCycP2, and TgCyc5 in parasite growth and development.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Marc-Jan Gubbels, David J. P. Ferguson, Sudeshna Saha, Julia D. Romano, Suyog Chavan, Vincent A. Primo, Cynthia Michaud, Isabelle Coppens, Klemens Engelberg
Summary: Apicomplexa is famous for its apical complex at the top, while the basal complex at the other end has been overshadowed. However, in the past decade, a variety of functions have been associated with the basal complex, and progress has been made in understanding its structure.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Min Chen, Pei Yang, Zixuan Xin, Jiating Chen, Weihao Zou, Lijuan Zhou, Lili Yang, Jiao Peng, Hongjuan Peng
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii is a pathogen causing toxoplasmosis and has similarities with immunotherapy for cancers. The knockout of GRA5 gene in T. gondii resulted in an avirulent strain that stimulated immune responses. ME49 & UDelta;gra5 vaccination provided protection against T. gondii infection and breast cancer by boosting anti-tumor responses. The vaccine upregulated Th1 cytokines and tumor-infiltrating T cells, and increased the number of immune cells in the spleen.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Congcong Lyu, Xuke Yang, Jichao Yang, Lun Hou, Yanqin Zhou, Junlong Zhao, Bang Shen
Summary: This study identified a starch synthase required for amylopectin synthesis in Toxoplasma gondii, which plays a critical role in parasite growth, development, and virulence. Disrupting this enzyme may impact the pathogen's proliferation and ability to move between different life cycle stages, highlighting a potential drawback in using such mutants as vaccine candidates.
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.
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
Biology
Ines L. S. Delgado, Alexandra Tavares, Samuel Francisco, Dulce Santos, Joao Coelho, Afonso P. Basto, Sara Zuquete, Joachim Mueller, Andrew Hemphill, Markus Meissner, Helena Soares, Alexandre Leitao, Sofia Nolasco
Summary: The study reveals that TgMOB1 is not essential for the growth of Toxoplasma gondii, but plays a crucial role in cell division. TgMOB1 mediates the replication speed of T. gondii parasites at a fine level. The research uncovers new features of MOB1 and its potential implications for disease processes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pallabi Mitra, Khadija Banu, Abhijit S. Deshmukh, Naidu Subbarao, Suman Kumar Dhar
BIOCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2015)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
K. Sony Reddy, Emmanuel Amlabu, Alok K. Pandey, Pallabi Mitra, Virander S. Chauhan, Deepak Gaur
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2015)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Abhijit S. Deshmukh, Pallabi Mitra, Ashok Kolagani, Rajkumar Gurupwar
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS
(2018)
Article
Microbiology
Ashish Gupta, Parul Mehra, Abhijeet Deshmukh, Ashraf Dar, Pallabi Mitra, Nilanjan Roy, Suman Kumar Dhar
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Abhijit S. Deshmukh, Sandeep Srivastava, Susann Herrmann, Ashish Gupta, Pallabi Mitra, Tim Wolf Gilberger, Suman Kumar Dhar
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2012)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pallabi Mitra, Enna Dogra Gupta, Tajali Sahar, Alok K. Pandey, Poonam Dangi, K. Sony Reddy, Virander Singh Chauhan, Deepak Gaur
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Abhijit S. Deshmukh, Pallabi Mitra, Mulaka Maruthi
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2016)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pallabi Mitra, Abhijit S. Deshmukh, Rajkumar Gurupwar, Poonam Kashyap
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pallabi Mitra, Abhijit S. Deshmukh, Chinmayee Choudhury
Summary: Intracellular pathogens like Toxoplasma gondii manipulate host cell survival and stress response by targeting molecular chaperones such as Heat shock proteins (Hsps), particularly Hsp70. This study demonstrates that the selective inhibitor PES disrupts Hsp70 function, leading to dysregulation of host autophagy and attenuation of T. gondii multiplication. Interestingly, PES targets not only host Hsp70 but also the parasite's Hsp70 homologue, highlighting the potential of dual targeting for therapeutic interventions.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Abhijit S. Deshmukh, Bhavana K. Hebbar, Pallabi Mitra, Shilpshri Shinde, Sandeep Chaudhari, Sukhadeo B. Barbuddhe
Summary: The study revealed approximately 46%, 48% and 47% seropositivity rates among veterinary personnel and abattoir workers for Toxoplasma gondii infection, indicating a significant association between occupational exposure to animals and T. gondii seropositivity.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Khadija Banu, Pallabi Mitra, Naidu Subbarao, Suman Kumar Dhar
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS
(2018)