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Tag: Toxoplasma gondii

Oxygen-dependent regulation of F-box proteins in Toxoplasma gondii is mediated by Skp1 glycosylation

Donna Huber on September 20, 2024

  A dynamic proteome is required for cellular adaption to changing environments including levels of O2, and the SKP1/CULLIN-1/F-box protein/RBX1 (SCF) family of E3 ubiquitin ligases contributes importantly to proteasome-mediated degradation. We examine, in the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the influence on the interactome of SKP1 by its novel glycan attached to a hydroxyproline generated …

A combination of four Toxoplasma gondii nuclear-targeted effectors protects against interferon gamma-driven human host cell death

Donna Huber on September 18, 2024

  In both mice and humans, Type II interferon gamma (IFNγ) is crucial for the regulation of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection, during acute or chronic phases. To thwart this defense, T. gondii secretes protein effectors hindering the host’s immune response. For example, T. gondii relies on the MYR translocon complex to deploy soluble dense …

The Toxoplasma gondii F-Box Protein L2 Functions as a Repressor of Stage Specific Gene Expression

Donna Huber on May 30, 2024

  Toxoplasma gondii is a foodborne pathogen that can cause severe and life-threatening infections in fetuses and immunocompromised patients. Felids are its only definitive hosts, and a wide range of animals, including humans, serve as intermediate hosts. When the transmissible bradyzoite stage is orally ingested by felids, they transform into merozoites that expand asexually, ultimately …

Two CTEGD trainees receive AHA fellowships

Donna Huber on March 12, 2024

by Donna Huber   Baihetiya “Barna” Baierna, a cellular biology graduate student in Silvia Moreno’s laboratory, received an American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellowship. It will fund her training for the next two years as she studies the mitochondrion of Toxoplasma gondii. Baierna grew up wanting to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a scientist. “My …

Regulation of Calcium entry by cyclic GMP signaling in Toxoplasma gondii

Donna Huber on February 19, 2024

  Ca2+ signaling impacts almost every aspect of cellular life. Ca2+ signals are generated through the opening of ion channels that permit the flow of Ca2+ down an electrochemical gradient. Cytosolic Ca2+ fluctuations can be generated through Ca2+ entry from the extracellular milieu or release from intracellular stores. In Toxoplasma gondii, Ca2+ ions play critical …

Diego Huet zeroes in on parasite that affects thousands each year

Donna Huber on January 8, 2024

by Donna Huber   From an early age, Diego Huet has been interested in the unusual and fascinating found in the natural world. His early encounters with animals, plants and insects nurtured his curiosity about nature. Their striking colors and sometimes strange shapes drew his interest, and even today he continues to capture them through macro photography. …

ATP synthase-associated coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix (CHCH) domain-containing proteins are critical for mitochondrial function in Toxoplasma gondii

Donna Huber on October 5, 2023

Coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix (CHCH) domains consist of two pairs of cysteine residues that are oxidized to form disulfide bonds upon mitochondrial import. Proteins containing these domains play important roles in mitochondrial ultrastructure and in the biogenesis, function, and stability of electron transport chain complexes. Interestingly, recent investigations of the Toxoplasma gondii ATP synthase identified subunits containing CHCH domains. As …

Interorganellar Communication Through Membrane Contact Sites in Toxoplasma gondii

Donna Huber on August 6, 2023

  Apicomplexan parasites are a group of protists that cause disease in humans and include pathogens like Plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria, and Toxoplasma gondii, the etiological agent of toxoplasmosis and one of the most ubiquitous human parasites in the world. Membrane contact sites (MCSs) are widespread structures within eukaryotic cells but their …

Analysis of the Interactome of the Toxoplasma gondii Tgj1 HSP40 Chaperone

Donna Huber on March 1, 2023

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular apicomplexan that causes toxoplasmosis in humans and animals. Central to its dissemination and pathogenicity is the ability to rapidly divide in the tachyzoite stage and infect any type of nucleated cell. Adaptation to different cell contexts requires high plasticity in which heat shock proteins (Hsps) could play a fundamental role. …

The Toxoplasma Plant-Like Vacuolar Compartment (PLVAC)

Donna Huber on October 11, 2022

Toxoplasma gondii belongs to the phylum Apicomplexa and is an important cause of congenital disease and infection in immunocompromised patients. T. gondii shares several characteristics with plants including a non-photosynthetic plastid termed apicoplast and a multi-vesicular organelle that was named the plant-like vacuole (PLV) or vacuolar compartment (VAC). The name plant-like vacuole was selected based …