STRUCTURE FUNCTION ANALYSIS OF MOTILITY IN PARASITE TOXOPLASMA GONDII

本项目的目的是了解运动性和 胞内原生动物的细胞骨架-膜相互作用 寄生虫弓形虫。基因和细胞生物学研究 确定寄生虫的运动和细胞入侵是由 在寄生虫中以肌动蛋白为基础的运动，但这是不可能的 到目前为止，用Fonvtive定位肌动蛋白细丝。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。Tongdii代表了一个有趣的 研究细胞骨架运动的寄生系统。不像 细菌细胞摄取、寄生虫入侵不涉及显著 宿主细胞细胞骨架的改变。相反，入侵是一种 寄生虫穿透宿主细胞的活跃过程。 在入侵过程中，肌动蛋白和肌球蛋白位于 寄生虫中的质膜可能结合在一起产生 在入侵过程中运动所必需的力量。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 我们预计将能够确定 弓形虫寄生虫的滑行运动及其与宿主的相互作用 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.