STRUCTURE FUNCTION ANALYSIS OF MOTILITY IN PARASITE TOXOPLASMA GONDII

这个项目的目的是了解运动和 细胞内原生动物的细胞膜相互作用 寄生虫弓形虫 遗传学和细胞生物学研究 确定寄生虫的运动和细胞入侵是由一个 肌动蛋白-肌球蛋白为基础的马达在寄生虫，但它一直是不可能的 到目前为止，定位肌动蛋白丝与Fonventional。 电子 显微镜 这导致了肌动蛋白可能存在的结论 主要是球状的。 弓形虫代表了一种有趣的 寄生虫系统中研究细胞骨架运动。 不像 细菌细胞摄取，寄生虫入侵不涉及显著的 宿主细胞骨架的改变。 相反，入侵是一种 寄生虫侵入宿主细胞的活跃过程。 在侵袭过程中，位于细胞膜下的肌动蛋白和肌球蛋白， 寄生虫中的质膜大概联合收割机产生 在入侵期间运动所需的力量。 通过使用这些技术 Ris博士描述了用LVSEM观察肌动蛋白和肌球蛋白结构 我们希望能够确定 弓形虫的滑行运动及其与 寄生虫入侵期间的宿主细胞。

The purpose of this project is to understand motility and cytoskeleton-membrane interactions in the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Genetic and cell biological studies have determined that parasite motility and cell invasion is powered by an actin-myosin based motor in the parasite, but it has not been possible so far to localize actin filaments with Fonventional. electron microscopy. This led to the conclusion that actin might exist primarily in globular form. T gondii represents an interesting parasite system in which to study cytoskeletal motility. Unlike bacterial cell uptake, parasite invasion does not involve significant alteration in the host cell cytoskeleton. Instead, invasion is an active process of penetration into the host cell by the parasite. During invasion, actin and myosin that is localized underneath the plasma membrane in the parasite presumably combine to produce the force necessary for motility during invasion. By using the techniques described by Dr. Ris to look at actin and myosin structures with LVSEM we expect to be able to determine the mechanisms underlying the gliding motility in the parasite T gondii and its interactions with host cells during parasite invasion.