Organization of myosin H in the apical complex of Toxoplasma gondii revealed by 3D single-molecule super-resolution...

Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled eukaryotic parasite with prolific invasion capability. The parasite uses an apical complex comprising proteinaceous structures and secretory organelles to efficiently enter host cells. As a result, the apical complex remains a vital structure of interest, with many studies dedicated to understanding its protein organization. One such protein is the motor myosin H (MyoH), which is indispensable for parasite motility and host-cell invasion. Given the small size of the complex, roughly a diffraction-limited volume in the visible, high-resolution techniques are required to make precise determinations of protein organization. In this work, we use 3D single-molecule localization microscopy in both traditionally fixed and gel-expanded parasites to localize the indispensable motor MyoH within the apical complex. Labeling of the N and C termini of MyoH in fixed parasites resolved the orientation of the motor protein in the apical complex, showing the motor head radially exterior to the tail. Two-color imaging of MyoH with tubulin in fixed parasites allowed for localization of the MyoH termini relative to the conoid, a barrel of tubulin-based fibrils in the apical complex, and showed the MyoH tail toward the interior face of the conoid and the head at the conoid exterior. Gel expansion showed improved labeling density for both tubulin and MyoH but altered MyoH localization, highlighting the nuanced effects of gel expansion on protein organization.