Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases
University of Georgia
University of Georgia Ph.D. students Joseph Dainis and Kaelynn Parker, both affiliated with the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Disease (CTEGD), have received prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards from the National Institutes of Health that will support their doctoral programs and help them prepare for careers in science. Through the …
Calcium ion (Ca2+) transfer from other organelles is central to mitochondrial metabolism and cell survival, yet how mechanical forces regulate interorganelle communication remains unclear. Here we report a lysosome-to-mitochondrion pathway in Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, mediated by the mechano/osmosensitive channel TcPiezo2. Using ultrastructural, biochemical, and live-cell superresolution imaging, we define …
Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, relies on complex gene regulatory mechanisms to adapt to its diverse host environments. In recent years, it has been established that epigenetics plays an essential role in these mechanisms via the regulation of chromatin structure. Bromodomain-containing factors (BDFs), known for recognizing acetylated lysines on histones, have emerged …
Calmodulin is a conserved EF-hand Ca2+ sensor that transduces intracellular Ca2+ signals through interactions with target proteins. Recent cryo-electron microscopy studies revealed the Toxoplasma gondii calmodulin (TgCaM) as a light chain associated with the neck of the unconventional myosin MyoL within the preconoidal P2 ring , a key component of the conoid involved in parasite …
Survival and transmission of the human pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi depend on dynamic remodeling of its membrane proteome, yet the post-translational networks governing this plasticity remain obscure. Using metabolic labeling and quantitative mass spectrometry, we present a comprehensive map of the T. cruzi S-palmitoylome: a high-confidence atlas of 254 proteins enriched for signaling factors, cytoskeletal …
Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) and Burkholderia mallei (Bm) are the etiological agents of the fatal diseases melioidosis and glanders, respectively. No licensed vaccine is available to protect against these facultative intracellular bacteria and treatment of infection is difficult, requiring intensive and prolonged antimicrobial therapy with low success rates due to intrinsic resistance of Bp and Bm …
Terebelliform annelids can serve as intermediate hosts for blood flukes of marine fishes and sea turtles. The scarcity of global reports on the life cycles of these parasites reflects the need for further exploration. Our objective was to further our knowledge of the diversity and life cycles of blood flukes in coastal South Carolina (SC), …
As a master of host-cell reprogramming, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) tachyzoites manipulate diverse signaling networks to establish a niche permissive for long-term infection. While the parasite’s subversion of canonical NF-κB signaling (p65/p50) is well established, how infection impacts the non-canonical NF-κB pathway has been largely unexplored. Here, we report that T. gondii infection induces nuclear accumulation of the non-canonical …
Elucidating the target of an antiparasitic small molecule can aid in the drug development process. However, various technical challenges related to parasite biology prevent timely target identification. Microscopy methods determining the co-localization of a drug with subcellular markers is a powerful approach that provides evidence of its localization within the cell. This technique can help …