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PMID: 11157740 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

A plastid segregation defect in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

The EMBO journal ·Vol. 20 ·No. 3 ·2001-02-01 ·Pages 330-9

He CY, Shaw MK, Pletcher CH, Striepen B, Tilney LG, Roos DS

Abstract

Apicomplexan parasites--including the causative agents of malaria (Plasmodium sp.) and toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii)--harbor a secondary endosymbiotic plastid, acquired by lateral genetic transfer from a eukaryotic alga. The apicoplast has attracted considerable attention, both as an evolutionary novelty and as a potential target for chemotherapy. We report a recombinant fusion (between a nuclear-encoded apicoplast protein, the green fluorescent protein and a rhoptry protein) that targets to the apicoplast but grossly alters its morphology, preventing organellar segregation during parasite division. Apicoplast-deficient parasites replicate normally in the first infectious cycle and can be isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, but die in the subsequent host cell, confirming the 'delayed death' phenotype previously described pharmacologically, and validating the apicoplast as essential for parasite viability.

MeSH Terms
Animals Eukaryota/genetics Genes, Protozoan Green Fluorescent Proteins Luminescent Proteins/genetics Membrane Proteins/genetics Microscopy, Electron Mutation Phenotype Plastids/genetics Protozoan Proteins/genetics Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics Symbiosis/genetics Toxoplasma/genetics,growth & development,microbiology
Chemicals
Luminescent Proteins Membrane Proteins Protozoan Proteins ROP 1 protein, Toxoplasma gondii Recombinant Fusion Proteins Green Fluorescent Proteins
Authors & Affiliations
6 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
He C Y
Department of Biology, 305 Goddard Laboratories, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Shaw M K
Pletcher C H
Striepen B
Tilney L G
Roos D S
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Article Info
Journal
The EMBO journal
Abbr.
EMBO J
ISSN
0261-4189
DOI
10.1093/emboj/20.3.330
Published
2001-02-01
Pages
330-9
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
8208664
PMCID
PMC133478
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1093/emboj/20.3.330 PMC Full Text View journal details
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