Cryogenic electron tomography reveals novel structures in the apical complex of Plasmodium falciparum

Intracellular infectious agents, like the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, face the daunting challenge of how to invade a host cell. This problem may be even harder when the host cell in question is the enucleated red blood cell, which lacks the host machinery co-opted by many pathogens for internalization. Evolution has provided P. falciparum and related single-celled parasites within the phylum Apicomplexa with a collection of organelles at their apical end that mediate invasion. This apical complex includes at least two sets of secretory organelles, micronemes and rhoptries, and several structural features like apical rings and a putative pore through which proteins may be introduced into the host cell during invasion. We perform cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) equipped with Volta Phase Plate on isolated and vitrified merozoites to visualize the apical machinery. Through tomographic reconstruction of cellular compartments, we see new details of known structures like the rhoptry tip interacting directly with a rosette resembling the recently described rhoptry secretory apparatus (RSA), or with an apical vesicle docked beneath the RSA. Subtomogram averaging reveals that the apical rings have a fixed number of repeating units, each of which is similar in overall size and shape to the units in the apical rings of tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii. Comparison of these polar rings in Plasmodium and Toxoplasma parasites also reveals them to have a structurally conserved assembly pattern. These results provide new insight into the essential and structurally conserved features of this remarkable machinery used by apicomplexan parasites to invade their respective host cells.

IMPORTANCE

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Upon infection, Plasmodium parasites invade and replicate in red blood cells, where they are largely protected from the immune system. To enter host cells, the parasites employ a specialized apparatus at their anterior end. In this study, advanced imaging techniques like cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) and Volta Phase Plate enable unprecedented visualization of whole Plasmodium falciparum merozoites, revealing previously unknown structural details of their invasion machinery. Key findings include new insights into the structural conservation of apical rings shared between Plasmodium and its apicomplexan cousin, Toxoplasma. These discoveries shed light on the essential and conserved elements of the invasion machinery used by these pathogens. Moreover, the research provides a foundation for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying parasite-host interactions, potentially informing strategies for combating diseases caused by apicomplexan parasites.

Host MOSPD2 enrichment at the parasitophorous vacuole membrane varies between Toxoplasma strains and involves complex interactions

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate, intracellular parasite. Infection of a cell produces a unique niche for the parasite named the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) initially composed of host plasma membrane invaginated during invasion. The PV and its membrane (parasitophorous vacuole membrane [PVM]) are subsequently decorated with a variety of parasite proteins allowing the parasite to optimally grow in addition to manipulate host processes. Recently, we reported a proximity-labeling screen at the PVM-host interface and identified host endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident motile sperm domain-containing protein 2 (MOSPD2) as being enriched at this location. Here we extend these findings in several important respects. First, we show that the extent and pattern of host MOSPD2 association with the PVM differ dramatically in cells infected with different strains of Toxoplasma. Second, in cells infected with Type I RH strain, the MOSPD2 staining is mutually exclusive with regions of the PVM that associate with mitochondria. Third, immunoprecipitation and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with epitope-tagged MOSPD2-expressing host cells reveal strong enrichment of several PVM-localized parasite proteins, although none appear to play an essential role in MOSPD2 association. Fourth, most MOSPD2 associating with the PVM is newly translated after infection of the cell and requires the major functional domains of MOSPD2, identified as the CRAL/TRIO domain and tail anchor, although these domains were not sufficient for PVM association. Lastly, ablation of MOSPD2 results in, at most, a modest impact on Toxoplasma growth in vitro. Collectively, these studies provide new insight into the molecular interactions involving MOSPD2 at the dynamic interface between the PVM and the host cytosol. IMPORTANCE Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular pathogen that lives within a membranous vacuole inside of its host cell. This vacuole is decorated by a variety of parasite proteins that allow it to defend against host attack, acquire nutrients, and interact with the host cell. Recent work identified and validated host proteins enriched at this host-pathogen interface. Here, we follow up on one candidate named MOSPD2 shown to be enriched at the vacuolar membrane and describe it as having a dynamic interaction at this location depending on a variety of factors. Some of these include the presence of host mitochondria, intrinsic domains of the host protein, and whether translation is active. Importantly, we show that MOSPD2 enrichment at the vacuole membrane differs between strains indicating active involvement of the parasite with this phenotype. Altogether, these results shed light on the mechanism and role of protein associations in the host-pathogen interaction.

Cryo-electron tomography with mixed-scale dense neural networks reveals key steps in deployment of Toxoplasma invasion machinery

Host cell invasion by intracellular, eukaryotic parasites within the phylum Apicomplexa is a remarkable and active process involving the coordinated action of apical organelles and other structures. To date, capturing how these structures interact during invasion has been difficult to observe in detail. Here, we used cryogenic electron tomography to image the apical complex of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites under conditions that mimic resting parasites and those primed to invade through stimulation with calcium ionophore. Through the application of mixed-scale dense networks for image processing, we developed a highly efficient pipeline for annotation of tomograms, enabling us to identify and extract densities of relevant subcellular organelles and accurately analyze features in 3-D. The results reveal a dramatic change in the shape of the anteriorly located apical vesicle upon its apparent fusion with a rhoptry that occurs only in the stimulated parasites. We also present information indicating that this vesicle originates from the vesicles that parallel the intraconoidal microtubules and that the latter two structures are linked by a novel tether. We show that a rosette structure previously proposed to be involved in rhoptry secretion is associated with apical vesicles beyond just the most anterior one. This result, suggesting multiple vesicles are primed to enable rhoptry secretion, may shed light on the mechanisms Toxoplasma employs to enable repeated invasion attempts. Using the same approach, we examine Plasmodium falciparum merozoites and show that they too possess an apical vesicle just beneath a rosette, demonstrating evolutionary conservation of this overall subcellular organization.

Seizing control: How dense granule effector proteins enable Toxoplasma to take charge

Control of the host cell is crucial to the Apicomplexan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, while it grows intracellularly. To achieve this goal, these single-celled eukaryotes export a series of effector proteins from organelles known as "dense granules" that interfere with normal cellular processes and responses to invasion. While some effectors are found attached to the outer surface of the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in which Toxoplasma tachyzoites reside, others are found in the host cell's cytoplasm and yet others make their way into the host nucleus, where they alter host transcription. Among the processes that are severely altered are innate immune responses, host cell cycle, and association with host organelles. The ways in which these crucial processes are altered through the coordinated action of a large collection of effectors is as elegant as it is complex, and is the central focus of the following review; we also discuss the recent advances in our understanding of how dense granule effector proteins are trafficked out of the PV.

Toxoplasma Uses GRA16 To Upregulate Host c-Myc

Manipulation of the host cell is a crucial part of life for many intracellular organisms. We have recently come to appreciate the extent to which the intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii reprograms its host cell, and this is illustrated by the marked upregulation of the central regulator c-Myc, an oncogene that coordinates myriad cellular functions. In an effort to identify an effector protein capable of regulating c-Myc, our laboratory constructed a screen for mutant parasites unable to accomplish this upregulation. Interestingly, this screen identified numerous components of a complex located in/on the parasitophorous vacuole membrane necessary to translocate Toxoplasma proteins out into the host cytosol, but it never identified a specific effector protein. Thus, how the parasite upregulates c-Myc has largely been a mystery. Previously, the Toxoplasma dense granule protein GRA16 has been described to bind to one isoform of PP2A-B, a regulatory subunit that coordinates the activity of the catalytic protein phosphatase PP2A. As other PP2A subunits have been reported to target PP2A protein phosphatase activity to c-Myc, subsequently leading to c-Myc destabilization, we examined whether GRA16 has an impact on host c-Myc accumulation. Expression of Toxoplasma's GRA16 protein in Neospora caninum, a close relative of Toxoplasma that does not naturally upregulate host c-Myc, conferred the ability on Neospora to do this now. Further support was obtained by deleting the GRA16 gene from Toxoplasma and observing a severely diminished ability of Toxoplasma tachyzoites to upregulate host c-Myc. Thus, GRA16 is an effector protein central to Toxoplasma's ability to upregulate host c-Myc.IMPORTANCE The proto-oncogene c-Myc plays a crucial role in the growth and division of many animal cells. Previous studies have identified an active upregulation of c-Myc by Toxoplasma tachyzoites, suggesting the existence of one or more exported "effector" proteins. The identity of such an effector, however, has not previously been known. Here, we show that a previously known secreted protein, GRA16, plays a crucial role in c-Myc upregulation. This finding will enable further dissection of the precise mechanism and role of c-Myc upregulation in Toxoplasma-infected cells.

Differential Impacts on Host Transcription by ROP and GRA Effectors from the Intracellular Parasite Toxoplasma gondii

The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii employs a vast array of effector proteins from the rhoptry and dense granule organelles to modulate host cell biology; these effectors are known as ROPs and GRAs, respectively. To examine the individual impacts of ROPs and GRAs on host gene expression, we developed a robust, novel protocol to enrich for ultrapure populations of a naturally occurring and reproducible population of host cells called uninfected-injected (U-I) cells, which Toxoplasma injects with ROPs but subsequently fails to invade. We then performed single-cell transcriptomic analysis at 1 to 3 h postinfection on U-I cells (as well as on uninfected and infected controls) arising from infection with either wild-type parasites or parasites lacking the MYR1 protein, which is required for soluble GRAs to cross the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) and reach the host cell cytosol. Based on comparisons of infected and U-I cells, the host's earliest response to infection appears to be driven primarily by the injected ROPs, which appear to induce immune and cellular stress pathways. These ROP-dependent proinflammatory signatures appear to be counteracted by at least some of the MYR1-dependent GRAs and may be enhanced by the MYR-independent GRAs (which are found embedded within the PVM). Finally, signatures detected in uninfected bystander cells from the infected monolayers suggest that MYR1-dependent paracrine effects also counteract inflammatory ROP-dependent processes.IMPORTANCE This work performs transcriptomic analysis of U-I cells, captures the earliest stage of a host cell's interaction with Toxoplasma gondii, and dissects the effects of individual classes of parasite effectors on host cell biology.

Coimmunoprecipitation with MYR1 Identifies Three Additional Proteins within the Toxoplasma gondii Parasitophorous Vacuole Required for Translocation of Dense Granule Effectors into Host Cells

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous, intracellular protozoan that extensively modifies infected host cells through secreted effector proteins. Many such effectors must be translocated across the parasitophorous vacuole (PV), in which the parasites replicate, ultimately ending up in the host cytosol or nucleus. This translocation has previously been shown to be dependent on five parasite proteins: MYR1, MYR2, MYR3, ROP17, and ASP5. We report here the identification of several MYR1-interacting and novel PV-localized proteins via affinity purification of MYR1, including TGGT1_211460 (dubbed MYR4), TGGT1_204340 (dubbed GRA54), and TGGT1_270320 (PPM3C). Further, we show that three of the MYR1-interacting proteins, GRA44, GRA45, and MYR4, are essential for the translocation of the Toxoplasma effector protein GRA16 and for the upregulation of human c-Myc and cyclin E1 in infected cells. GRA44 and GRA45 contain ASP5 processing motifs, but like MYR1, processing at these sites appears to be nonessential for their role in protein translocation. These results expand our understanding of the mechanism of effector translocation in Toxoplasma and indicate that the process is highly complex and dependent on at least eight discrete proteins.IMPORTANCEToxoplasma is an extremely successful intracellular parasite and important human pathogen. Upon infection of a new cell, Toxoplasma establishes a replicative vacuole and translocates parasite effectors across this vacuole to function from the host cytosol and nucleus. These effectors play a key role in parasite virulence. The work reported here newly identifies three parasite proteins that are necessary for protein translocation into the host cell. These results significantly increase our knowledge of the molecular players involved in protein translocation in Toxoplasma-infected cells and provide additional potential drug targets.

A single-parasite transcriptional atlas of Toxoplasma Gondii reveals novel control of antigen expression

Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan parasite, undergoes a complex and poorly understood developmental process that is critical for establishing a chronic infection in its intermediate hosts. Here, we applied single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) on >5,400 Toxoplasma in both tachyzoite and bradyzoite stages using three widely studied strains to construct a comprehensive atlas of cell-cycle and asexual development, revealing hidden states and transcriptional factors associated with each developmental stage. Analysis of SAG1-related sequence (SRS) antigenic repertoire reveals a highly heterogeneous, sporadic expression pattern unexplained by measurement noise, cell cycle, or asexual development. Furthermore, we identified AP2IX-1 as a transcription factor that controls the switching from the ubiquitous SAG1 to rare surface antigens not previously observed in tachyzoites. In addition, comparative analysis between Toxoplasma and Plasmodium scRNA-seq results reveals concerted expression of gene sets, despite fundamental differences in cell division. Lastly, we built an interactive data-browser for visualization of our atlas resource.

What a Difference 30 Years Makes! A Perspective on Changes in Research Methodologies Used to Study Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is a remarkable species with a rich cell, developmental, and population biology. It is also sometimes responsible for serious disease in animals and humans and the stages responsible for such disease are relatively easy to study in vitro or in laboratory animal models. As a result of all this, Toxoplasma has become the subject of intense investigation over the last several decades, becoming a model organism for the study of the phylum of which it is a member, Apicomplexa. This has led to an ever-growing number of investigators applying an ever-expanding set of techniques to dissecting how Toxoplasma "ticks" and how it interacts with its many hosts. In this perspective piece I first wind back the clock 30 years and then trace the extraordinary pace of methodologies that have propelled the field forward to where we are today. In keeping with the theme of this collection, I focus almost exclusively on the parasite, rather than host side of the equation. I finish with a few thoughts about where the field might be headed-though if we have learned anything, the only sure prediction is that the pace of technological advance will surely continue to accelerate and the future will give us still undreamed of methods for taking apart (and then putting back together) this amazing organism with all its intricate biology. We have so far surely just scratched the surface.

Translocation of Dense Granule Effectors across the Parasitophorous Vacuole Membrane in Toxoplasma-Infected Cells Requires the Activity of ROP17, a Rhoptry Protein Kinase

Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites co-opt host cell functions through introduction of a large set of rhoptry- and dense granule-derived effector proteins. These effectors reach the host cytosol through different means: direct injection for rhoptry effectors and translocation across the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM) for dense granule (GRA) effectors. The machinery that translocates these GRA effectors has recently been partially elucidated, revealing three components, MYR1, MYR2, and MYR3. To determine whether other proteins might be involved, we returned to a library of mutants defective in GRA translocation and selected one with a partial defect, suggesting it might be in a gene encoding a new component of the machinery. Surprisingly, whole-genome sequencing revealed a missense mutation in a gene encoding a known rhoptry protein, a serine/threonine protein kinase known as ROP17. ROP17 resides on the host cytosol side of the PVM in infected cells and has previously been known for its activity in phosphorylating and thereby inactivating host immunity-related GTPases. Here, we show that null or catalytically dead mutants of ROP17 are defective in GRA translocation across the PVM but that translocation can be rescued "in trans" by ROP17 delivered by other tachyzoites infecting the same host cell. This strongly argues that ROP17's role in regulating GRA translocation is carried out on the host cytosolic side of the PVM, not within the parasites or lumen of the parasitophorous vacuole. This represents an entirely new way in which the different secretory compartments of Toxoplasma tachyzoites collaborate to modulate the host-parasite interaction.IMPORTANCE When Toxoplasma infects a cell, it establishes a protective parasitophorous vacuole surrounding it. While this vacuole provides protection, it also serves as a barrier to the export of parasite effector proteins that impact and take control of the host cell. Our discovery here that the parasite rhoptry protein ROP17 is necessary for export of these effector proteins provides a distinct, novel function for ROP17 apart from its known role in protecting the vacuole. This will enable future research into ways in which we can prevent the export of effector proteins, thereby preventing Toxoplasma from productively infecting its animal and human hosts.

Toxoplasma Controls Host Cyclin E Expression through the Use of a Novel MYR1-Dependent Effector Protein, HCE1

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that establishes a favorable environment in the host cells in which it replicates. We have previously reported that it uses MYR-dependent translocation of dense granule proteins to elicit a key set of host responses related to the cell cycle, specifically, E2F transcription factor targets, including cyclin E. We report here the identification of a novel Toxoplasma effector protein that is exported from the parasitophorous vacuole in a MYR1-dependent manner and localizes to the host's nucleus. Parasites lacking this inducer of host cyclin E (HCE1) are unable to modulate E2F transcription factor target genes and exhibit a substantial growth defect. Immunoprecipitation of HCE1 from infected host cells showed that HCE1 efficiently binds elements of the cyclin E regulatory complex, namely, DP1 and its partners E2F3 and E2F4. Expression of HCE1 in Neospora caninum, or in uninfected human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs), showed localization of the expressed protein to the host nuclei and strong cyclin E upregulation. Thus, HCE1 is a novel effector protein that is necessary and sufficient to impact the E2F axis of transcription, resulting in co-opting of host functions to the advantage of ToxoplasmaIMPORTANCE Like most Apicomplexan parasites, Toxoplasma gondii has the remarkable ability to invade and establish a replicative niche within another eukaryotic cell, in this case, any of a large number of cell types in almost any warm-blooded animals. Part of the process of establishing this niche is the export of effector proteins to co-opt host cell functions in favor of the parasite. Here we identify a novel effector protein, HCE1, that the parasites export into the nucleus of human cells, where it modulates the expression of multiple genes, including the gene encoding cyclin E, one of the most crucial proteins involved in controlling when and whether a human cell divides. We show that HCE1 works through binding to specific transcription factors, namely, E2F3, E2F4, and DP1, that normally carefully regulate these all-important pathways. This represents a new way in which these consummately efficient infectious agents co-opt the human cells that they so efficiently grow within.

Toxoplasma gondii infection triggers chronic cachexia and sustained commensal dysbiosis in mice

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite with a predation-mediated transmission cycle between rodents and felines. Intermediate hosts acquire Toxoplasma by eating parasite cysts which invade the small intestine, disseminate systemically and finally establish host life-long chronic infection in brain and muscles. Here we show that Toxoplasma infection can trigger a severe form of sustained cachexia: a disease of progressive lean weight loss that is a causal predictor of mortality in cancer, chronic disease and many infections. Toxoplasma cachexia is characterized by acute anorexia, systemic inflammation and loss of 20% body mass. Although mice recover from symptoms of peak sickness, they fail to regain muscle mass or visceral adipose depots. We asked whether the damage to the intestinal microenvironment observed at acute time points was sustained in chronic infection and could thereby play a role in sustaining cachexia. We found that parasites replicate in the same region of the distal jejunum/proximal ileum throughout acute infection, inducing the development of secondary lymphoid structures and severe, regional inflammation. Small intestine pathology was resolved by 5 weeks post-infection. However, changes in the commensal populations, notably an outgrowth of Clostridia spp., were sustained in chronic infection. Importantly, uninfected animals co-housed with infected mice display similar changes in commensal microflora but never display symptoms of cachexia, indicating that altered commensals are not sufficient to explain the cachexia phenotype alone. These studies indicate that Toxoplasma infection is a novel and robust model to study the immune-metabolic interactions that contribute to chronic cachexia development, pathology and potential reversal.

A Toxoplasma gondii locus required for the direct manipulation of host mitochondria has maintained multiple ancestral functions

The Toxoplasma gondii locus mitochondrial association factor 1 (MAF1) encodes multiple paralogs, some of which mediate host mitochondrial association (HMA). Previous work showed that HMA was a trait that arose in T. gondii through neofunctionalization of an ancestral MAF1 ortholog. Structural analysis of HMA-competent and incompetent MAF1 paralogs (MAF1b and MAF1a, respectively) revealed that both paralogs harbor an ADP ribose binding macro-domain, with comparatively low (micromolar) affinity for ADP ribose. Replacing the 16 C-terminal residues of MAF1b with those of MAF1a abrogated HMA, and we also show that only three residues in the C-terminal helix are required for MAF1-mediated HMA. Importantly these same three residues are also required for the in vivo growth advantage conferred by MAF1b, providing a definitive link between in vivo proliferation and manipulation of host mitochondria. Co-immunoprecipitation assays reveal that the ability to interact with the mitochondrial MICOS complex is shared by HMA-competent and incompetent MAF1 paralogs and mutants. The weak ADPr coordination and ability to interact with the MICOS complex shared between divergent paralogs may represent modular ancestral functions for this tandemly expanded and diversified T. gondii locus.

MYR1-Dependent Effectors Are the Major Drivers of a Host Cell's Early Response to Toxoplasma, Including Counteracting MYR1-Independent Effects

The obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii controls its host cell from within the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) by using a number of diverse effector proteins, a subset of which require the aspartyl protease 5 enzyme (ASP5) and/or the recently discovered MYR1 protein to cross the PV membrane. To examine the impact these effectors have in the context of the entirety of the host response to Toxoplasma, we used RNA-Seq to analyze the transcriptome expression profiles of human foreskin fibroblasts infected with wild-type RH (RH-WT), RHΔmyr1, and RHΔasp5 tachyzoites. Interestingly, the majority of the differentially regulated genes responding to Toxoplasma infection are MYR1 dependent. A subset of MYR1 responses were ASP5 independent, and MYR1 function did not require ASP5 cleavage, suggesting the export of some effectors requires only MYR1. Gene set enrichment analysis of MYR1-dependent host responses suggests an upregulation of E2F transcription factors and the cell cycle and a downregulation related to interferon signaling, among numerous others. Most surprisingly, "hidden" responses arising in RHΔmyr1- but not RH-WT-infected host cells indicate counterbalancing actions of MYR1-dependent and -independent activities. The host genes and gene sets revealed here to be MYR1 dependent provide new insight into the parasite's ability to co-opt host cell functions.IMPORTANCEToxoplasma gondii is unique in its ability to successfully invade and replicate in a broad range of host species and cells within those hosts. The complex interplay of effector proteins exported by Toxoplasma is key to its success in co-opting the host cell to create a favorable replicative niche. Here we show that a majority of the transcriptomic effects in tachyzoite-infected cells depend on the activity of a novel translocation system involving MYR1 and that the effectors delivered by this system are part of an intricate interplay of activators and suppressors. Removal of all MYR1-dependent effectors reveals previously unknown activities that are masked or hidden by the action of these proteins.

Identification of a novel protein complex essential for effector translocation across the parasitophorous vacuole membrane of Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that can infect virtually all nucleated cells in warm-blooded animals. The ability of Toxoplasma tachyzoites to infect and successfully manipulate its host is dependent on its ability to transport "GRA" proteins that originate in unique secretory organelles called dense granules into the host cell in which they reside. GRAs have diverse roles in Toxoplasma's intracellular lifecycle, including co-opting crucial host cell functions and proteins, such as the cell cycle, c-Myc and p38 MAP kinase. Some of these GRA proteins, such as GRA16 and GRA24, are secreted into the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) within which Toxoplasma replicates and are transported across the PV membrane (PVM) into the host cell, but the translocation process and its machinery are not well understood. We previously showed that TgMYR1, which is cleaved by TgASP5 into two fragments, localizes to the PVM and is essential for GRA transport into the host cell. To identify additional proteins necessary for effector transport, we screened Toxoplasma mutants defective in c-Myc up-regulation for their ability to export GRA16 and GRA24 to the host cell nucleus. Here we report that novel proteins MYR2 and MYR3 play a crucial role in translocation of a subset of GRAs into the host cell. MYR2 and MYR3 are secreted into the PV space and co-localize with PV membranes and MYR1. Consistent with their predicted transmembrane domains, all three proteins are membrane-associated, and MYR3, but not MYR2, stably associates with MYR1, whose N- and C-terminal fragments are disulfide-linked. We further show that fusing intrinsically disordered effectors to a structured DHFR domain blocks the transport of other effectors, consistent with a translocon-based model of effector transport. Overall, these results reveal a novel complex at the PVM that is essential for effector translocation into the host cell.

mRNA pseudouridylation affects RNA metabolism in the parasite Toxoplasma gondii

RNA contains over 100 modified nucleotides that are created post-transcriptionally, among which pseudouridine (Ψ) is one of the most abundant. Although it was one of the first modifications discovered, the biological role of this modification is still not fully understood. Recently, we reported that a pseudouridine synthase (TgPUS1) is necessary for differentiation of the single-celled eukaryotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii from active to chronic infection. To better understand the biological role of pseudouridylation, we report here gel-based and deep-sequencing methods to identify TgPUS1-dependent Ψ's in Toxoplasma RNA, and the use of TgPUS1 mutants to examine the effect of this modification on mRNAs. In addition to identifying conserved sites of pseudouridylation in Toxoplasma rRNA, tRNA, and snRNA, we also report extensive pseudouridylation of Toxoplasma mRNAs, with the Ψ's being relatively depleted in the 3'-UTR but enriched at position 1 of codons. We show that many Ψ's in tRNA and mRNA are dependent on the action of TgPUS1 and that TgPUS1-dependent mRNA Ψ's are enriched in developmentally regulated transcripts. RNA-seq data obtained from wild-type and TgPUS1-mutant parasites shows that genes containing a TgPUS1-dependent Ψ are relatively more abundant in mutant parasites, while pulse/chase labeling of RNA with 4-thiouracil shows that mRNAs containing TgPUS1-dependent Ψ have a modest but statistically significant increase in half-life in the mutant parasites. These data are some of the first evidence suggesting that mRNA Ψ's play an important biological role.

An in vitro model of intestinal infection reveals a developmentally regulated transcriptome of Toxoplasma sporozoites and a NF-κB-like signature in infected host cells

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection affecting approximately 30% of the world’s human population. After sexual reproduction in the definitive feline host, Toxoplasma oocysts, each containing 8 sporozoites, are shed into the environment where they can go on to infect humans and other warm-blooded intermediate hosts. Here, we use an in vitro model to assess host transcriptomic changes that occur in the earliest stages of such infections. We show that infection of rat intestinal epithelial cells with mature sporozoites primarily results in higher expression of genes associated with Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFα) signaling via NF-κB. Furthermore, we find that, consistent with their biology, these mature, invaded sporozoites display a transcriptome intermediate between the previously reported day 10 oocysts and that of their tachyzoite counterparts. Thus, this study uncovers novel host and pathogen factors that may be critical for the establishment of a successful intracellular niche following sporozoite-initiated infection.

Toxoplasma growth in vitro is dependent on exogenous tyrosine and is independent of AAH2 even in tyrosine-limiting conditions

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite capable of infecting virtually all nucleated cell types in almost all warm-blooded animals. Interestingly, Toxoplasma has a relatively full repertoire of amino acid biosynthetic machinery, perhaps reflecting its broad host range and, consequently, its need to adapt to a wide array of amino acid resources. Although Toxoplasma has been shown to be auxotrophic for tryptophan and arginine, it has not previously been determined if Toxoplasma is also auxotrophic for tyrosine. Toxoplasma tachyzoites and bradyzoites were recently found to express an amino acid hydroxylase (AAH2) that is capable of synthesizing tyrosine and dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) from phenylalanine; however, the role of AAH2 in tachyzoite and bradyzoite infection has not yet been identified. To determine if Toxoplasma requires exogenous tyrosine for growth, we performed growth assays on tachyzoites and bradyzoites in nutrient-rich media titrated with varying amounts of tyrosine. We found that Toxoplasma tachyzoites form significantly smaller plaques in tyrosine-limiting media in a dose-dependent manner and that this phenotype is not affected by deletion of TgAAH2. To determine if bradyzoites require exogenous tyrosine for growth, we induced differentiation from tachyzoites in vitro in tyrosine-limiting media and found that replication and vacuole number are all decreased in tyrosine-deficient media. Importantly, culture of confluent human fibroblasts in tyrosine-deficient media does not affect their viability, indicating that, at least in vitro, the need for tyrosine is at the level of Toxoplasma, not the host cell supporting its growth.

An aspartyl protease defines a novel pathway for export of Toxoplasma proteins into the host cell

Infection by Toxoplasma gondii leads to massive changes to the host cell. Here, we identify a novel host cell effector export pathway that requires the Golgi-resident aspartyl protease 5 (ASP5). We demonstrate that ASP5 cleaves a highly constrained amino acid motif that has similarity to the PEXEL-motif of Plasmodium parasites. We show that ASP5 matures substrates at both the N- and C-terminal ends of proteins and also controls trafficking of effectors without this motif. Furthermore, ASP5 controls establishment of the nanotubular network and is required for the efficient recruitment of host mitochondria to the vacuole. Assessment of host gene expression reveals that the ASP5-dependent pathway influences thousands of the transcriptional changes that Toxoplasma imparts on its host cell. All these changes result in attenuation of virulence of Δasp5 tachyzoites in vivo. This work characterizes the first identified machinery required for export of Toxoplasma effectors into the infected host cell.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10809.001

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that is thought to infect over two billion people worldwide. Often these infections cause no noticeable symptoms, but can cause serious illness in people with weakened immune systems. Toxoplasma parasites must enter human cells in order to survive. To dramatically increase their chances of survival, the parasites then deliver specialized proteins into the host cell that disarm the host’s immune defenses. Understanding how these specialized proteins are transported from inside the parasite into the host cell, and how this process can be blocked, may lead to new treatments for these and related parasitic infections.

By genetically modifying Toxoplasma parasites to lack a parasite enzyme, Coffey et al. have now discovered that this molecule is required for correctly transporting parasite proteins. This enzyme is called aspartyl protease 5 (ASP5) and is found in the parasite in a structure called the Golgi apparatus, which acts as a main hub for protein transport.

ASP5 cuts proteins at a ‘barcode’ that is found in many different types of proteins, priming them for transport out of the parasite and for export into the host cell in some cases. Coffey et al. show that in parasites that lack ASP5, these proteins are no longer cleaved and are not transported correctly, blocking the activities that parasites normally perform to ensure their survival. Therefore, ASP5 plays an important role in transporting a wide range of proteins associated with disease, including transporting certain proteins directly into the host cell.

Future studies that compare parasites that lack ASP5 to normal parasites will aim to identify new proteins used by the parasites to defeat the host’s immune defenses.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10809.002

The Toxoplasma pseudokinase ROP5 is an allosteric inhibitor of the immunity-related GTPases

The Red Queen hypothesis proposes that there is an evolutionary arms race between host and pathogen. One possible example of such a phenomenon could be the recently discovered interaction between host defense proteins known as immunity-related GTPases (IRGs) and a family of rhoptry pseudokinases (ROP5) expressed by the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Mouse IRGs are encoded by an extensive and rapidly evolving family of over 20 genes. Similarly, the ROP5 family is highly polymorphic and consists of 4-10 genes, depending on the strain of Toxoplasma. IRGs are known to be avidly bound and functionally inactivated by ROP5 proteins, but the molecular basis of this interaction/inactivation has not previously been known. Here we show that ROP5 uses a highly polymorphic surface to bind adjacent to the nucleotide-binding domain of an IRG and that this produces a profound allosteric change in the IRG structure. This has two dramatic effects: 1) it prevents oligomerization of the IRG, and 2) it alters the orientation of two threonine residues that are targeted by the Toxoplasma Ser/Thr kinases, ROP17 and ROP18. ROP5s are highly specific in the IRGs that they will bind, and the fact that it is the most highly polymorphic surface of ROP5 that binds the IRG strongly supports the notion that these two protein families are co-evolving in a way predicted by the Red Queen hypothesis.

The calcium-dependent protein kinase 3 of toxoplasma influences basal calcium levels and functions beyond egress as revealed by quantitative phosphoproteome analysis

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are conserved in plants and apicomplexan parasites. In Toxoplasma gondii, TgCDPK3 regulates parasite egress from the host cell in the presence of a calcium-ionophore. The targets and the pathways that the kinase controls, however, are not known. To identify pathways regulated by TgCDPK3, we measured relative phosphorylation site usage in wild type and TgCDPK3 mutant and knock-out parasites by quantitative mass-spectrometry using stable isotope-labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC). This revealed known and novel phosphorylation events on proteins predicted to play a role in host-cell egress, but also a novel function of TgCDPK3 as an upstream regulator of other calcium-dependent signaling pathways, as we also identified proteins that are differentially phosphorylated prior to egress, including proteins important for ion-homeostasis and metabolism. This observation is supported by the observation that basal calcium levels are increased in parasites where TgCDPK3 has been inactivated. Most of the differential phosphorylation observed in CDPK3 mutants is rescued by complementation of the mutants with a wild type copy of TgCDPK3. Lastly, the TgCDPK3 mutants showed hyperphosphorylation of two targets of a related calcium-dependent kinase (TgCDPK1), as well as TgCDPK1 itself, indicating that this latter kinase appears to play a role downstream of TgCDPK3 function. Overexpression of TgCDPK1 partially rescues the egress phenotype of the TgCDPK3 mutants, reinforcing this conclusion. These results show that TgCDPK3 plays a pivotal role in regulating tachyzoite functions including, but not limited to, egress.

Impact of regulated secretion on antiparasitic CD8 T cell responses

CD8 T cells play a key role in defense against the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma, but why certain CD8 responses are more potent than others is not well understood. Here, we describe a parasite antigen, ROP5, that elicits a CD8 T cell response in genetically susceptible mice. ROP5 is secreted via parasite organelles termed rhoptries that are injected directly into host cells during invasion, whereas the protective, dense-granule antigen GRA6 is constitutively secreted into the parasitophorous vacuole. Transgenic parasites in which the ROP5 antigenic epitope was targeted for secretion through dense granules led to enhanced CD8 T cell responses, whereas targeting the GRA6 epitope to rhoptries led to reduced CD8 responses. CD8 T cell responses to the dense-granule-targeted ROP5 epitope resulted in reduced parasite load in the brain. These data suggest that the mode of secretion affects the efficacy of parasite-specific CD8 T cell responses.

Immune profiling of pregnant Toxoplasma-infected US and Colombia patients reveals surprising impacts of infection on peripheral blood cytokines

In North America (NA) and Europe, the majority of toxoplasmosis cases are benign and generally asymptomatic, whereas in South America (SA) toxoplasmosis is associated with much more severe symptoms in adults and congenitally infected children. The reasons for these differences remain unknown; currently, there is little information from patients in either region on how the immune system responds to infection with Toxoplasma gondii. Here, we report the relative abundance of 51 serum cytokines from acute and chronic toxoplasmosis cohorts of pregnant women from the United States, where approximately one-half of clinical isolates are Type II, and Colombia, where clinical isolates are generally "atypical" or Type I-like strains. Surprisingly, the results showed notably lower levels of 23 cytokines in acutely infected patients from the United States, relative to uninfected US controls. In acutely infected Colombian patients, however, only 8 cytokine levels differed detectably with 4 being lower and 4 higher relative to uninfected controls. Strikingly, there were also differences in the cytokine profiles of the chronically infected patients relative to uninfected controls in the US cohort. Hence, Toxoplasma appears to specifically impact levels of circulating cytokines, and our results may partly explain region-specific differences in the clinical spectrum of toxoplasmosis.

A nucleotide sugar transporter involved in glycosylation of the Toxoplasma tissue cyst wall is required for efficient persistence of bradyzoites

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that transitions from acute infection to a chronic infective state in its intermediate host via encystation, which enables the parasite to evade immune detection and clearance. It is widely accepted that the tissue cyst perimeter is highly and specifically decorated with glycan modifications; however, the role of these modifications in the establishment and persistence of chronic infection has not been investigated. Here we identify and biochemically and biologically characterize a Toxoplasma nucleotide-sugar transporter (TgNST1) that is required for cyst wall glycosylation. Toxoplasma strains deleted for the TgNST1 gene (Δnst1) form cyst-like structures in vitro but no longer interact with lectins, suggesting that Δnst1 strains are deficient in the transport and use of sugars for the biosynthesis of cyst-wall structures. In vivo infection experiments demonstrate that the lack of TgNST1 activity does not detectably impact the acute (tachyzoite) stages of an infection or tropism of the parasite for the brain but that Δnst1 parasites are severely defective in persistence during the chronic stages of the infection. These results demonstrate for the first time the critical role of parasite glycoconjugates in the persistence of Toxoplasma tissue cysts.

The Toxoplasma tissue cyst is essential to the persistence of the parasite during the chronic infection of an immunocompetent host. While significant efforts have been made to identify molecular factors that trigger and sustain parasite encystation, the role of the glycoconjugates that decorate the cyst wall has received little attention. Here we identify and characterize a bona fide nucleotide-sugar transporter, TgNST1, whose activity is required for the proper assembly of cyst wall glycoconjugates. We found that deletion of TgNST1 interferes with glycosylation during both the tachyzoite and bradyzoite stages of infection, and we observed substantial defects in the ability of Δnst1 parasites to maintain chronic infection. Surprisingly, Δnst1 parasites were not significantly defective in acute infection of mice, and showed wild type levels and migration rates to the brain. These results highlight the important role of cyst-wall glycosylation in parasite persistence during chronic infection, and suggest that drugs targeting nucleotide-sugar transporters and other enzymes required for glycosylation, perhaps in combination with drugs targeting other pathways, might be useful to prevent the establishment of chronic parasite infection.

Toxoplasma co-opts host cells it does not invade

Like many intracellular microbes, the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii injects effector proteins into cells it invades. One group of these effector proteins is injected from specialized organelles called the rhoptries, which have previously been described to discharge their contents only during successful invasion of a host cell. In this report, using several reporter systems, we show that in vitro the parasite injects rhoptry proteins into cells it does not productively invade and that the rhoptry effector proteins can manipulate the uninfected cell in a similar manner to infected cells. In addition, as one of the reporter systems uses a rhoptry:Cre recombinase fusion protein, we show that in Cre-reporter mice infected with an encysting Toxoplasma-Cre strain, uninfected-injected cells, which could be derived from aborted invasion or cell-intrinsic killing after invasion, are actually more common than infected-injected cells, especially in the mouse brain, where Toxoplasma encysts and persists. This phenomenon has important implications for how Toxoplasma globally affects its host and opens a new avenue for how other intracellular microbes may similarly manipulate the host environment at large.

A Toxoplasma gondii pseudokinase inhibits host IRG resistance proteins

The ability of mice to resist infection with the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, depends in large part on the function of members of a complex family of atypical large GTPases, the interferon-gamma-inducible immunity-related GTPases (IRG proteins). Nevertheless, some strains of T. gondii are highly virulent for mice because, as recently shown, they secrete a polymorphic protein kinase, ROP18, from the rhoptries into the host cell cytosol at the moment of cell invasion. Depending on the allele, ROP18 can act as a virulence factor for T. gondii by phosphorylating and thereby inactivating mouse IRG proteins. In this article we show that IRG proteins interact not only with ROP18, but also strongly with the products of another polymorphic locus, ROP5, already implicated as a major virulence factor from genetic crosses, but whose function has previously been a complete mystery. ROP5 proteins are members of the same protein family as ROP18 kinases but are pseudokinases by sequence, structure, and function. We show by a combination of genetic and biochemical approaches that ROP5 proteins act as essential co-factors for ROP18 and present evidence that they work by enforcing an inactive GDP-dependent conformation on the IRG target protein. By doing so they prevent GTP-dependent activation and simultaneously expose the target threonines on the switch I loop for phosphorylation by ROP18, resulting in permanent inactivation of the protein. This represents a novel mechanism in which a pseudokinase facilitates the phosphorylation of a target by a partner kinase by preparing the substrate for phosphorylation, rather than by upregulation of the activity of the kinase itself.

Infected dendritic cells facilitate systemic dissemination and transplacental passage of the obligate intracellular parasite Neospora caninum in mice

The obligate intracellular parasite Neospora caninum disseminates across the placenta and the blood-brain barrier, to reach sites where it causes severe pathology or establishes chronic persistent infections. The mechanisms used by N. caninum to breach restrictive biological barriers remain elusive. To examine the cellular basis of these processes, migration of different N. caninum isolates (Nc-1, Nc-Liverpool, Nc-SweB1 and the Spanish isolates: Nc-Spain 3H, Nc-Spain 4H, Nc-Spain 6, Nc-Spain 7 and Nc-Spain 9) was studied in an in vitro model based on a placental trophoblast-derived BeWo cell line. Here, we describe that infection of dendritic cells (DC) by N. caninum tachyzoites potentiated translocation of parasites across polarized cellular monolayers. In addition, powered by the parasite's own gliding motility, extracellular N. caninum tachyzoites were able to transmigrate across cellular monolayers. Altogether, the presented data provides evidence of two putative complementary pathways utilized by N. caninum, in an isolate-specific fashion, for passage of restrictive cellular barriers. Interestingly, adoptive transfer of tachyzoite-infected DC in mice resulted in increased parasitic loads in various organs, e.g. the central nervous system, compared to infections with free parasites. Inoculation of pregnant mice with infected DC resulted in an accentuated vertical transmission to the offspring with increased parasitic loads and neonatal mortality. These findings reveal that N. caninum exploits the natural cell trafficking pathways in the host to cross cellular barriers and disseminate to deep tissues. The findings are indicative of conserved dissemination strategies among coccidian apicomplexan parasites.

The phosphoproteomes of Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii reveal unusual adaptations within and beyond the parasites' boundaries

Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii are obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasites that rapidly invade and extensively modify host cells. Protein phosphorylation is one mechanism by which these parasites can control such processes. Here we present a phosphoproteome analysis of peptides enriched from schizont stage P. falciparum and T. gondii tachyzoites that are either "intracellular" or purified away from host material. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we identified over 5,000 and 10,000 previously unknown phosphorylation sites in P. falciparum and T. gondii, respectively, revealing that protein phosphorylation is an extensively used regulation mechanism both within and beyond parasite boundaries. Unexpectedly, both parasites have phosphorylated tyrosines, and P. falciparum has unusual phosphorylation motifs that are apparently shaped by its A:T-rich genome. This data set provides important information on the role of phosphorylation in the host-pathogen interaction and clues to the evolutionary forces operating on protein phosphorylation motifs in both parasites.

Strain-dependent host transcriptional responses to Toxoplasma infection are largely conserved in mammalian and avian hosts

Toxoplasma gondii has a remarkable ability to infect an enormous variety of mammalian and avian species. Given this, it is surprising that three strains (Types I/II/III) account for the majority of isolates from Europe/North America. The selective pressures that have driven the emergence of these particular strains, however, remain enigmatic. We hypothesized that strain selection might be partially driven by adaptation of strains for mammalian versus avian hosts. To test this, we examine in vitro, strain-dependent host responses in fibroblasts of a representative avian host, the chicken (Gallus gallus). Using gene expression profiling of infected chicken embryonic fibroblasts and pathway analysis to assess host response, we show here that chicken cells respond with distinct transcriptional profiles upon infection with Type II versus III strains that are reminiscent of profiles observed in mammalian cells. To identify the parasite drivers of these differences, chicken fibroblasts were infected with individual F1 progeny of a Type II x III cross and host gene expression was assessed for each by microarray. QTL mapping of transcriptional differences suggested, and deletion strains confirmed, that, as in mammalian cells, the polymorphic rhoptry kinase ROP16 is the major driver of strain-specific responses. We originally hypothesized that comparing avian versus mammalian host response might reveal an inversion in parasite strain-dependent phenotypes; specifically, for polymorphic effectors like ROP16, we hypothesized that the allele with most activity in mammalian cells might be less active in avian cells. Instead, we found that activity of ROP16 alleles appears to be conserved across host species; moreover, additional parasite loci that were previously mapped for strain-specific effects on mammalian response showed similar strain-specific effects in chicken cells. These results indicate that if different hosts select for different parasite genotypes, the selection operates downstream of the signaling occurring during the beginning of the host's immune response.

A conserved non-canonical motif in the pseudoactive site of the ROP5 pseudokinase domain mediates its effect on Toxoplasma virulence

The ROP5 family is a closely related set of polymorphic pseudokinases that are critical to the ability of Toxoplasma to cause disease. Polymorphisms in ROP5 also make it a major determinant of strain-specific differences in virulence. ROP5 possesses all of the major kinase motifs required for catalysis except for a substitution at the catalytic Asp. We show that this substitution in the catalytic loop of ROP5 is part of a motif conserved in other pseudokinases of both Toxoplasma and human origin, and that this motif is required for the full activity in vivo of ROP5. This suggests evolutionary selection at this site for a biochemical function, rather than simple drift away from catalysis. We present the crystal structures of a virulent isoform of ROP5 both in its ATP-bound and -unbound states and have demonstrated that despite maintaining the canonical ATP-binding motifs, ROP5 binds ATP in a distorted conformation mediated by unusual magnesium coordination sites that would not be predicted from the primary sequence. In addition, we have mapped the polymorphisms spread throughout the primary sequence of ROP5 to two major surfaces, including the activation segment of ROP5. This suggests that the pseudoactive site of this class of pseudokinases may have evolved to use the canonical ATP-binding motifs for non-catalytic signaling through allostery.

Toxoplasma polymorphic effectors determine macrophage polarization and intestinal inflammation

European and North American strains of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii belong to three distinct clonal lineages, type I, type II, and type III, which differ in virulence. Understanding the basis of Toxoplasma strain differences and how secreted effectors work to achieve chronic infection is a major goal of current research. Here we show that type I and III infected macrophages, a cell type required for host immunity to Toxoplasma, are alternatively activated, while type II infected macrophages are classically activated. The Toxoplasma rhoptry kinase ROP16, which activates STAT6, is responsible for alternative activation. The Toxoplasma dense granule protein GRA15, which activates NF-κB, promotes classical activation by type II parasites. These effectors antagonistically regulate many of the same genes, and mice infected with type II parasites expressing type I ROP16 are protected against Toxoplasma-induced ileitis. Thus, polymorphisms in determinants that modulate macrophage activation influence the ability of Toxoplasma to establish a chronic infection.

Focus on the ringleader: the role of AMA1 in apicomplexan invasion and replication

Apicomplexan parasites exhibit an unusual mechanism of host cell penetration. A central player in this process is the protein apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1). Although essential for invasion, the precise functional roles AMA1 plays have been unclear. Several recent studies have provided important functional insight into its role within the multiprotein complex that comprises the moving junction (MJ). Initially formed at the apical tip of the invading parasite, the MJ represents a ring-like region of contact between the surfaces of the invading parasite and the host cell as the invaginated host plasma membrane is forced inward by the penetrating parasite. This review discusses these and other recent insights into AMA1 with particular emphasis on studies conducted in Plasmodium and Toxoplasma.

Chemistry and biology of macrolide antiparasitic agents

Macrolide antibacterial agents inhibit parasite proliferation by targeting the apicoplast ribosome. Motivated by the long-term goal of identifying antiparasitic macrolides that lack antibacterial activity, we have systematically analyzed the structure-activity relationships among erythromycin analogues and have also investigated the mechanism of action of selected compounds. Two lead compounds, N-benzylazithromycin (11) and N-phenylpropylazithromycin (30), were identified with significantly higher antiparasitic activity and lower antibacterial activity than erythromycin or azithromycin. Molecular modeling based on the cocrystal structure of azithromycin bound to the bacterial ribosome suggested that a substituent at the N-9 position of desmethylazithromycin could improve selectivity because of species-specific interactions with the ribosomal L22 protein. Like other macrolides, these lead compounds display a strong "delayed death phenotype"; however, their early effects on T. gondii replication are more pronounced.

Toxoplasma gondii: 25 years and 25 major advances for the field

This article is an attempt to identify the most significant highlights of Toxoplasma research over the last 25 years. It has been a period of enormous progress and the top 25 most significant advances, in the view of this author, are described. These range from the bench to the bedside and represent a tremendous body of work from countless investigators. And, having laid out so much that has been discovered, it is impossible not to also reflect on the challenges that lie ahead. These, too, are briefly discussed. Finally, while every effort has been made to view the field as a whole, the molecular biology background of the author almost certainly will have skewed the relative importance attached to past and future advances. Despite this, it is hoped that the reader will agree with, or at least not disagree too strongly with, most of the choices presented here.

Association of host mitochondria with the parasitophorous vacuole during Toxoplasma infection is not dependent on rhoptry proteins ROP2/8

Previous work has proposed rhoptry protein 2 (ROP2) as the physical link that tethers host mitochondria to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) surrounding the intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. A recent analysis of the ROP2 structure, however, raised questions about this model. To determine whether ROP2 is necessary, we created a parasite line that lacks the entire ROP2 locus consisting of the three closely related genes, ROP2a, ROP2b and ROP8. We show that this knockout mutant retains the ability to recruit host mitochondria in a manner that is indistinguishable from the parental strain, re-opening the question of which molecules mediate this association.

Toxoplasma rhoptry protein 16 (ROP16) subverts host function by direct tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT6

The obligate intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, modulates host immunity in a variety of highly specific ways. Previous work revealed a polymorphic, injected parasite factor, ROP16, to be a key virulence determinant and regulator of host cell transcription. These properties were shown to be partially mediated by dysregulation of the host transcription factors STAT3 and STAT6, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenotype were unclear. Here, we use a Type I Toxoplasma strain deficient in ROP16 to show that ROP16 induces not only sustained activation but also an extremely rapid (within 1 min) initial activation of STAT6. Using recombinant wild-type and kinase-deficient ROP16, we demonstrate in vitro that ROP16 has intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity and is capable of directly phosphorylating the key tyrosine residue for STAT6 activation, Tyr(641). Furthermore, ROP16 co-immunoprecipitates with STAT6 from infected cells. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that STAT6 is a direct substrate for ROP16 in vivo.

Use of two novel approaches to discriminate between closely related host microRNAs that are manipulated by Toxoplasma gondii during infection

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, endogenously encoded regulatory RNAs that function to post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression in a wide variety of eukaryotes. Within organisms, some mature miRNAs, such as paralogous miRNAs, have nearly identical nucleotide sequences, which makes them virtually indistinguishable from one another by conventional hybridization-based approaches. Here we describe two inexpensive, sensitive methods for rapidly discriminating between paralogous miRNAs or other closely related miRNAs and for quantifying their abundance. The first approach is a sequential ribonuclease-protection and primer-extension assay; the second approach is a primer-extension assay that employs short oligonucleotide probes to exacerbate the instability of mismatched probe:miRNA hybrids. Both approaches are rapid and can be easily performed in their entirety using common laboratory equipment. As a proof of concept, we have used these methods to determine the exact identities of the human miR-17 family members that are increased by infection with the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. These methods can be used to rapidly and inexpensively discriminate between any closely related miRNAs in any organism.

Toxoplasma secreting Cre recombinase for analysis of host-parasite interactions

We describe a Toxoplasma gondii strain that will permit the use of site-specific recombination to study the host-parasite interactions of this organism. This Toxoplasma strain efficiently injects a Cre fusion protein into host cells. In a Cre-reporter cell line, a single parasite invasion induced Cre-mediated recombination in 95% of infected host cells. By infecting Cre-reporter mice with these parasites, we also monitored host-cell infection in vivo.

Expansion of host range as a driving force in the evolution of Toxoplasma

The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is unusual in being able to infect almost any cell from almost any warm-blooded animal it encounters. This extraordinary host-range contrasts with its far more particular cousins such as the various species of the malaria parasite Plasmodium where each species of parasite has a single genus or even species of host that it can infect. Genetic and genomic studies have revealed a key role for a number of gene families in how Toxoplasma invades a host cell, modulates gene expression of that cell and successfully evades the resulting immune response. In this review, I will explore the hypothesis that a combination of sexual recombination and expansion of host range may be the major driving forces in the evolution of some of these gene families and the specific genes they encompass. These ideas stem from results and thoughts published by several labs in the last few years but especially recent papers on the role of different forms of rhoptry proteins in the relative virulence of F1 Toxoplasma progeny in a particular host species (mice).

Coordinated loading of IRG resistance GTPases on to the Toxoplasma gondii parasitophorous vacuole

The immunity-related GTPases (IRGs) constitute an interferon-induced intracellular resistance mechanism in mice against Toxoplasma gondii. IRG proteins accumulate on the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM), leading to its disruption and to death of the parasite. How IRGs target the PVM is unknown. We show that accumulation of IRGs on the PVM begins minutes after parasite invasion and increases for about 1 h. Targeting occurs independently of several signalling pathways and the microtubule network, suggesting that IRG transport is diffusion-driven. The intensity of IRG accumulation on the PVM, however, is reduced in absence of the autophagy regulator, Atg5. In wild-type cells IRG proteins accumulate cooperatively on PVMs in a definite order reflecting a temporal hierarchy, with Irgb6 and Irgb10 apparently acting as pioneers. Loading of IRG proteins onto the vacuoles of virulent Toxoplasma strains is attenuated and the two pioneer IRGs are the most affected. The polymorphic rhoptry kinases, ROP16, ROP18 and the catalytically inactive proteins, ROP5A–D, are not individually responsible for this effect. Thus IRG proteins protect mice against avirulent strains of Toxoplasma but fail against virulent strains. The complex cooperative behaviour of IRG proteins in resisting Toxoplasma may hint at undiscovered complexity also in virulence mechanisms.

Toxoplasma gondii infection specifically increases the levels of key host microRNAs

BACKGROUND

The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii can infect and replicate in virtually any nucleated cell in many species of warm-blooded animals; thus, it has evolved the ability to exploit well-conserved biological processes common to its diverse hosts. Here we have investigated whether Toxoplasma modulates the levels of host microRNAs (miRNAs) during infection.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Using microarray profiling and a combination of conventional molecular approaches we report that Toxoplasma specifically modulates the expression of important host microRNAs during infection. We show that both the primary transcripts for miR-17 approximately 92 and miR-106b approximately 25 and the pivotal miRNAs that are derived from miR-17 approximately 92 display increased abundance in Toxoplasma-infected primary human cells; a Toxoplasma-dependent up-regulation of the miR-17 approximately 92 promoter is at least partly responsible for this increase. The abundance of mature miR-17 family members, which are derived from these two miRNA clusters, remains unchanged in host cells infected with the closely related apicomplexan Neospora caninum; thus, the Toxoplasma-induced increase in their abundance is a highly directed process rather than a general host response to infection.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Altered levels of miR-17 approximately 92 and miR-106b approximately 25 are known to play crucial roles in mammalian cell regulation and have been implicated in numerous hyperproliferative diseases although the mechanisms driving their altered expression are unknown. Hence, in addition to the implications of these findings on the host-pathogen interaction, Toxoplasma may represent a powerful probe for understanding the normal mechanisms that regulate the levels of key host miRNAs.

A highly sensitive FRET-based approach reveals secretion of the actin-binding protein toxofilin during Toxoplasma gondii infection

We have utilized a highly sensitive approach based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and beta-lactamase (BLA), which we adapted for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii secreted proteins. This assay revealed that the actin-binding protein toxofilin appears to be secreted into host cells during invasion. To determine the function of toxofilin during infection, we engineered a type I (RH strain) parasite with a targeted deletion of the toxofilin gene and compared the phenotypes of control and toxofilin knockout (Deltatxf) parasites in several in vitro assays, including invasion, growth, gliding motility, and egress of the Deltatxf parasites, as well as F-actin staining, phagocytosis and migration of cells infected with Deltatxf parasites or wild-type controls. Despite its apparent secretion into host cells and its ability to bind to and modulate host actin, we observed that toxofilin does not appear to play a role in these processes, under the conditions we examined, and we report these findings here.

A helical membrane-binding domain targets the Toxoplasma ROP2 family to the parasitophorous vacuole

During invasion, the obligate intracellular pathogen, Toxoplasma gondii, secretes into its host cell a variety of effector molecules, several of which have been implicated in strain-specific variation in disease. The largest family of these effectors, defined by the canonical member ROP2, quickly associates with the nascent parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) after secretion. Here we demonstrate that the NH(2)-terminal domain of the ROP2 family contains a series of amphipathic helices that are necessary and sufficient for membrane association. While each of the amphipathic helices is individually competent to bind cellular membranes, together they act to bind the PVM preferentially, possibly through sensing its strong negative curvature. This previously uncharacterized helical domain is an evolutionarily robust and energetically efficient design for membrane association.

Rapid membrane disruption by a perforin-like protein facilitates parasite exit from host cells

Perforin-like proteins are expressed by many bacterial and protozoan pathogens, yet little is known about their function or mode of action. Here, we describe Toxoplasma perforin-like protein 1 (TgPLP1), a secreted perforin-like protein of the intracellular protozoan pathogen Toxoplasma gondii that displays structural features necessary for pore formation. After intracellular growth, TgPLP1-deficient parasites failed to exit normally, resulting in entrapment within host cells. We show that this defect is due to an inability to rapidly permeabilize the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and host plasma membrane during exit. TgPLP1 ablation had little effect on growth in culture but resulted in a reduction greater than five orders of magnitude of acute virulence in mice. Perforin-like proteins from other intracellular pathogens may play a similar role in microbial egress and virulence.

Secretion of proteins into host cells by Apicomplexan parasites

The phylum Apicomplexa consists of a diverse group of obligate, intracellular parasites. The distinct evolutionary pressures on these protozoans as they have adapted to their respective niches have resulted in a variety of methods that they use to interact with and modify their hosts. One of these is the secretion and trafficking of parasite proteins into the host cell. We review this process for Theileria, Toxoplasma and Plasmodium. We also present what is known about the mechanisms by which parasite proteins are exported into the host cell, as well as information on their known and putative functions once they have reached their final destination.