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Updated: Jun 17, 2026
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Studying Cryptosporidium Infection in 3D Tissue-derived Human Organoid Culture Systems by Microinjection
Published on: September 14, 2019
Cell sorting-assisted microarray profiling of host cell response to Cryptosporidium parvum infection
Yi-Lin Yang1, Gregory A Buck, Giovanni Widmer
1Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
Infection and Immunity
|December 30, 2009
Summary
Mammalian cells infected with Cryptosporidium parvum show altered gene expression, particularly in glycoprotein metabolism. This leads to changes in cell surface glycoproteins, impacting host-parasite interactions.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Parasitology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Cryptosporidium parvum is an intracellular apicomplexan parasite.
- Understanding host cell transcriptional responses to infection is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transcriptional response of mammalian cells to C. parvum infection.
- To determine if transcriptional changes alter cell surface composition.
Main Methods:
- Comparing gene expression in infected vs. uninfected cells recovered from infected monolayers.
- Utilizing fluorescently labeled lectins to probe cell surface glycoproteins.
Main Results:
- Significant upregulation of glycoprotein metabolism genes in infected cells.
- Soybean agglutinin lectin showed the largest fluorescence difference, indicating altered N-acetyl-d-galactosamine presence.
- Overexpression and proximity of glycoproteins on infected cell surfaces were observed.
Conclusions:
- C. parvum infection induces significant changes in host cell glycoprotein metabolism and surface expression.
- These alterations may play a role in host-parasite interactions and infection progression.
