Author: Donna Huber

Polydnaviruses (PDVs) were originally viewed as large DNA viruses that are beneficial symbionts of parasitoid wasps. Two groups of PDVs were also recognized: bracoviruses (BVs), which are associated with wasps in the family Braconidae, and ichnoviruses (IVs), which are associated with wasps in the family Ichneumonidae. Results to date indicate that BVs are endogenous virus …

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite with the ability to use foodborne, zoonotic, and congenital routes of transmission that causes severe disease in immunocompromised patients. The parasites harbor a lysosome-like organelle, termed the "Vacuolar Compartment/Plant-Like Vacuole" (VAC/PLV), which plays an important role in maintaining the lytic cycle and virulence of T. gondii. The VAC supplies proteolytic enzymes that …

Background Malaria infection in pregnancy is a major cause of maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Mouse models for gestational malaria allow for the exploration of the mechanisms linking maternal malaria infection and poor pregnancy outcomes in a tractable model system. The composition of the gut microbiota has been shown to influence susceptibility to …

Most mosquitoes, including Aedes aegypti, only produce eggs after blood feeding on a vertebrate host. Oogenesis in A. aegypti consists of a pre-vitellogenic stage before blood feeding and a vitellogenic stage after blood feeding. Primary egg chambers remain developmentally arrested during the pre-vitellogenic stage but complete oogenesis to form mature eggs during the vitellogenic stage. In contrast, the signaling …

Insects are frequently infected with inherited facultative symbionts known to provide a range of conditionally beneficial services, including host protection. Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) often harbour the bacterium Hamiltonella defensa, which together with its associated bacteriophage A. pisum secondary endosymbiont (APSE) confer protection against an important natural enemy, the parasitic wasp Aphidius ervi. Previous studies showed that spontaneous loss …

Acidocalcisomes are acidic calcium stores rich in polyphosphate (polyP) and are present in trypanosomes and also in a diverse range of other organisms. Ca2+ is released from these organelles through a channel, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (TbIP3R), which is essential for growth and infectivity of the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. However, the mechanism by which TbIP3R controls …

O-Glycosylation is an increasingly recognized modification of intracellular proteins in all kingdoms of life, and its occurrence in protists has been investigated to understand its evolution and its roles in the virulence of unicellular pathogens. We focus here on two kinds of glycoregulation found in unicellular eukaryotes: one is a simple O-fucose modification of dozens if …