Tag: Toxoplasma gondii

Apicomplexan parasites like Toxoplasma gondii harbor a divergent mitochondrial proteome, much of which remains uncharacterized despite its essentiality for parasite survival. One such essential pathway is ubiquinone (UQ) biosynthesis. Here, we characterize the UQ synthesis machinery in T. gondii and show that conserved enzymes, TgCoq3 and TgCoq5, are essential for growth and mitochondrial function, and …

We investigated the antiparasitic activity of several antimicrobial drug leads against Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and, in one case, bradyzoites. Carbazole and phenylthiazole aminoguanidine anti-infectives, originally developed as antibacterial and antifungal agents, showed potent activity, with IC50 values as low as 2 μM. This potency was comparable to that observed with the tuberculosis drug candidate SQ109 and a series …

The cytosolic Ca2+ concentration of all cells is highly regulated demanding the coordinated operation of Ca2+ pumps, channels, exchangers and binding proteins. In the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii calcium homeostasis, essential for signaling, governs critical virulence traits. However, the identity of most molecular players involved in signaling and homeostasis in T. gondii are unknown or …

The current treatments for toxoplasmosis are only active against fast-growing tachyzoites, present in acute infections, with little effect on slow-growing bradyzoites within tissue cysts, present in latent chronic infections. The mitochondrion of Toxoplasma gondii is essential for its survival, and one of the major anti-parasitic drugs, atovaquone, inhibits the mitochondrial electron transport chain at the coenzyme Q:cytochrome …