Characterisation of host cell genes which are pathogen specifically induced by Txoplasma gondii

专有的细胞内原生动物寄生虫弓形虫在融合不能寄生的空泡中复制。这种液泡膜上的小孔允许寄生虫进入宿主细胞的代谢物池。作为对感染的反应，宿主细胞改变了它的基因表达模式。该项目的目的是识别宿主细胞基因，这些基因是在感染弓形虫后由病原体特异性诱导的，而不是在感染其他细胞内病原体后诱导的。两个符合这些标准的基因--转铁蛋白受体和MacMARCKS--已经在一项先导实验中被识别出来。在这些结果的基础上，比较微阵列分析将被应用于确定感染弓形虫、鼠伤寒沙门氏菌或沙眼衣原体的宿主细胞的转录图谱，以确定弓形虫特异上调的新基因。从转铁蛋白受体的研究开始，这些基因将被用来识别和解开弓形虫或顶体复合体特异的寄生虫与宿主细胞的相互作用。长期目标是了解这种特定上调对寄生虫-宿主细胞相互作用的影响。

The obligate intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii replicates within a fusion incompetent parasitophorous vacuole. Pores within the membrane of this vacuole allow the parasite to access the metabolite pool of its host cell. As a response to infection, the host cell changes its pattern of gene expression. The aim of this project is to identify host cell genes, which are pathogen-specifically induced after infection with T. gondii, but not after infection with other intracellular pathogens. Two genes, - the transferrin receptor and MacMARCKS - which fulfill these criteria were already identified in a pilot experiment. Expanding on these results, comparative microarray analysis will be applied to determine the transcriptional profile of host cells infected with Toxoplasma gondii, Salmonella typhimurium or Chlamydia trachomatis in order to identify novel, T. gondii-specifically upregulated genes. Starting with investigations on the transferrin receptor these genes will be used to identify and unravel Toxoplasma- or apicomplexan-specific parasite-host cell interactions. The long term goal is to understand the consequences of this specific upregulation for the parasite-host cell interaction.