Toxoplasma gondii Sporozoites Invade Host Cells Using Two Novel Paralogues of RON2 and AMA1

Toxoplasma gondii Sporozoites Invade Host Cells Using Two Novel Paralogues of RON2 and AMA1

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa. The interaction of two well-studied proteins, Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA1) and Rhoptry Neck protein 2 (RON2), has been shown to be critical for invasion by the asexual tachyzoite stage. Recently, two paralogues of these proteins, dubbed sporoAMA1 and sporoRON2 (or RON2L2), respectively, have been identified b...

Not a Simple Tether: Binding of Toxoplasma gondii AMA1 to RON2 during Invasion Protects AMA1 from Rhomboid-Mediated Cleavage and Leads to Dephosphorylation of Its Cytosolic Tail

UNLABELLED Apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) is a receptor protein on the surface of Toxoplasma gondii that plays a critical role in host cell invasion. The ligand to which T gondii AMA1 (TgAMA1) binds, TgRON2, is secreted into the host cell membrane by the parasite during the early stages of invasion. The TgAMA1-TgRON2 complex forms the core of the "moving junction," a ring-shaped zone of tight...

Toxoplasma gondii and the host cells.

The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, described by Nicolle and Manceaux in 1908, is a ubiquitous and cosmopolitan parasite that infects a wide range of mammal and bird species with high prevalence. The biological success of T. gondii is associated with the formation of a specific relationship between the parasite and host cells leading to the establishment of a latent, chronic infection. During prim...

Purification of Toxoplasma gondii from host cells.

The C-Terminus of Toxoplasma RON2 Provides the Crucial Link between AMA1 and the Host-Associated Invasion Complex

Host cell invasion by apicomplexan parasites requires formation of the moving junction (MJ), a ring-like apposition between the parasite and host plasma membranes that the parasite migrates through during entry. The Toxoplasma MJ is a secreted complex including TgAMA1, a transmembrane protein on the parasite surface, and a complex of rhoptry neck proteins (TgRON2/4/5/8) described as host cell-a...