Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Imaging the Intracellular Trafficking of APP with Photoactivatable GFP
Published on: October 17, 2015
Protein trafficking in apicomplexan parasites: crossing the vacuolar Rubicon
1Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, University of Notre Dame, 103 Galvin Life Sciences, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 103 Galvin Life Sciences, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
Abstract:
Although apicomplexans like the blood stages of Plasmodium and the actively replicating 'tachyzoite' stage of Toxoplasma infect very dissimilar host cells, recent studies suggest they share molecular commonalities amongst differences at the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM) surrounding these intracellular parasites. A protein translocation export (PTEX) complex in the PVM of Plasmodium, is functionally informed by findings in Toxoplasma. Lipids play a role in trafficking to and across the PVM. Toxoplasma exploit an orthologue of a plasmodial secretory aspartyl protease but substrate cleavage yields a signal for targeting to the PVM, rather than directly to the host cell. The studies significantly advance understanding of how trafficking to and across the host-pathogen PVM boundary induces virulence and disease in different host milieu.
Related Concept Videos
Introduction to Membrane Traffic
The transport of soluble and membrane proteins is mediated by transport vesicles that collect cargo from one cellular compartment and deliver it to another by fusing with the target organelle membrane. The Rab...
Overview of Protein Sorting and Transport
Protein sorting can be of two types: signal-based sorting and vesicle-based trafficking. In signal-based sorting, specific amino acid sequences called sorting signals target proteins to the proper location inside the cell either via gated transport or by protein translocation. In gated transport, folded...
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria
Protein Transport into the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane
Transport of mitochondrial precursors across the TIM23 channel is driven by...
Clathrin Coated Vesicles
Cotranslational Protein Translocation
Sec61 channel partners for cotranslational translocation
During cotranslational translocation, the Sec61 channel partners with the signal recognition particle (SRP), the signal recognition particle receptor (SR), and the ribosomes to transport the nascent polypeptide chain...

