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Published on: August 5, 2021
Apicomplexa in mammalian cells: trafficking to the parasitophorous vacuole
Marie-France Cesbron-Delauw1, Claire Gendrin, Laetitia Travier
1Laboratoire Adaptation et Pathogénie des Microorganismes, CNRS UMR 5163, Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1, BP 170, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France. marie-france.cesbron@ujf-grenoble.fr
Abstract:
Most Apicomplexa reside and multiply in the cytoplasm of their host cell, within a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) originating from both parasite and host cell components. Trafficking of parasite-encoded proteins destined to membrane compartments beyond the confine of the parasite plasma membrane is a process that offers a rich territory to explore novel mechanisms of protein-membrane interactions. Here, we focus on the PVs formed by the asexual stages of two pathogens of medical importance, Plasmodium and Toxoplasma. We compare the PVs of both parasites, with a particular emphasis on their evolutionary divergent compartmentalization within the host cell. We also discuss the existence of peculiar export mechanisms and/or sorting determinants that are potentially involved in the post-secretory targeting of parasite proteins to the PV subcompartments.
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