Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Monitoring the Assembly of a Secreted Bacterial Virulence Factor Using Site-specific Crosslinking
Published on: December 17, 2013
Polymorphic secreted kinases are key virulence factors in toxoplasmosis
J P J Saeij1, J P Boyle, S Coller
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Abstract:
The majority of known Toxoplasma gondii isolates from Europe and North America belong to three clonal lines that differ dramatically in their virulence, depending on the host. To identify the responsible genes, we mapped virulence in F(1) progeny derived from crosses between type II and type III strains, which we introduced into mice. Five virulence (VIR) loci were thus identified, and for two of these, genetic complementation showed that a predicted protein kinase (ROP18 and ROP16, respectively) is the key molecule. Both are hypervariable rhoptry proteins that are secreted into the host cell upon invasion. These results suggest that secreted kinases unique to the Apicomplexa are crucial in the host-pathogen interaction.
More Related Videos
09:25Implementation of a Permeable Membrane Insert-based Infection System to Study the Effects of Secreted Bacterial Toxins on Mammalian Host Cells
Published on: August 19, 2016
09:26Identification of Antibacterial Immunity Proteins in Escherichia coli using MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS/MS and Top-Down Proteomic Analysis
Published on: May 23, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
Bacterial Toxins
Determinants of Bacterial Pathogenicity and Virulence
Regulation of Bacterial Virulence
Inhalation Anthrax
Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance