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Toxoplasma Mechanisms for Delivery of Proteins and Uptake of Nutrients Across the Host-Pathogen Interface

Yifan Wang1, Lamba Omar Sangaré1, Tatiana C Paredes-Santos1

  • 1Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA; email: yifwang@ucdavis.edu, losangare@ucdavis.edu, tatianacps.uff@gmail.com, jsaeij@ucdavis.edu.

Annual Review of Microbiology
|July 19, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Toxoplasma gondii parasites reside within host cells, protected by a vacuole. This review details how Toxoplasma overcomes the vacuolar membrane barrier to deliver proteins and nutrients.

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Parasitology
  • Infectious diseases

Background:

  • Intracellular pathogens like Toxoplasma gondii reside within host cell vacuoles.
  • Vacuolar residence offers protection and replication niche but limits effector delivery and nutrient acquisition.
  • The vacuolar membrane presents a critical host-pathogen interface barrier.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the specialized secretion and trafficking systems of Toxoplasma gondii.
  • To explain how Toxoplasma overcomes the parasitophorous vacuole membrane barrier.
  • To detail nutrient acquisition strategies across the host-pathogen interface.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of Toxoplasma gondii secretion and trafficking mechanisms.
  • Analysis of host-pathogen interactions at the vacuolar membrane.
  • Synthesis of current understanding on effector delivery and nutrient uptake.

Main Results:

  • Toxoplasma gondii employs unique secretion systems (e.g., rhoptry, dense granules) to deliver effectors.
  • Specialized trafficking pathways facilitate nutrient acquisition from the host cytosol.
  • Overcoming the vacuolar membrane is crucial for parasite survival and host manipulation.

Conclusions:

  • Toxoplasma gondii possesses sophisticated mechanisms to breach the vacuolar membrane.
  • These systems are essential for virulence, host cell invasion, and nutrient acquisition.
  • Understanding these pathways offers targets for therapeutic intervention against toxoplasmosis.
Keywords:
Toxoplasma gondiinutrient acquisitionparasitophorous vacuolesecreted effectorstraffickingtranslocon

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