Dynamin inhibitor impairs Toxoplasma gondii invasion

FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2009 Sep 21. [Epub ahead of print]

Dynamin inhibitor impairs Toxoplasma gondii invasion

Caldas LA, Attias M, de Souza W.

Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Abstract The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii infects its host cells through an active mechanism. In this work, we obtained evidence that host cells also play a fundamental role during the infection process. We found that previous incubation of the host cells, but not the parasites, with Dynasore, a small molecule that inhibits dynamin GTPase activity, markedly reduced the penetration of T. gondii tachyzoites into LLC-MK2 cells. In contrast, parasite adhesion to the host cell surface increased, as observed both by light and electron microscopy. Intriguingly, the few parasites internalized by Dynasore-treated cells remained in vacuoles located at the periphery of the cell, in contrast to the perinuclear localization seen in the control.

PMID: 19817867 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]