apicomplexan parasites
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInfluential Parameters for the Analysis of Intracellular Parasite MetabolomicsMolecular characterization of pathogens such as the malaria parasite can lead to improved biological understanding and novel treatment strategies. However, the distinctive biology of the Plasmodium parasite, including its repetitive genome and the requirement for growth within a host cell, hinders progress toward these goals. Untargeted metabolomics is a promising approach to learn about pathogen biology. By measuring many...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Microtubule-Stabilizing Protein CLASP1 Associates with the Theileria annulata Schizont Surface via Its Kinetochore-Binding DomainT. annulata, the only eukaryote known to be capable of transforming another eukaryote, is a widespread parasite of veterinary importance that puts 250 million cattle at risk worldwide and limits livestock development for some of the poorest people in the world. Crucial to the pathology of Theileria is its ability to interact with host microtubules and the mitotic spindle of the infected cell. This study builds on our...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyToxoplasma gondii AP2IX-4 Regulates Gene Expression during Bradyzoite DevelopmentToxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that persists in its host as a transmissible tissue cyst. How the parasite converts from its replicative form to the bradyzoites housed in tissue cysts is not well understood, but the process clearly involves changes in gene expression. Here we report that parasites lacking a cell cycle-regulated transcription factor...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyOpposing Transcriptional Mechanisms Regulate Toxoplasma DevelopmentToxoplasma infections are lifelong because of the development of the bradyzoite tissue cyst, which is effectively invisible to the immune system. Despite the important clinical consequences of this developmental pathway, the molecular basis of the switch mechanisms that control tissue cyst formation is still poorly understood. Significant changes in gene expression are associated with tissue cyst development, and ApiAP2...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDrug Repurposing Screening Identifies Novel Compounds That Effectively Inhibit Toxoplasma gondii GrowthThere is an urgent need to develop new therapies to treat microbial infections, and the repurposing of well-characterized compounds is emerging as one approach to achieving this goal. Using the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, we screened a library of 1,120 compounds and identified several compounds with significant antiparasitic activities. Among these were...