Elife. 2017 Mar 21;6. pii: e24119. doi: 10.7554/eLife.24119. [Epub ahead of print]
Periz J1,
Whitelaw J1,
Harding C1,
Gras S1,
Del Rosario Minina MI1,
Latorre-Barragan F1,
Lemgruber L1,
Reimer MA1,
Insall R2,
Heaslip A3,
Meissner M1.
Abstract
Apicomplexan actin is important during the parasite's life cycle. Its polymerization kinetics are unusual, permitting only short, unstable F-actin filaments. It has not been possible to study actin in vivo and so its physiological roles have remained obscure, leading to models distinct from conventional actin behaviour. Here a modified version of the commercially available Actin-Chromobody® was tested as a novel tool for visualising F-actin dynamics in Toxoplasma gondii. Cb labels filamentous actin structures within the parasite cytosol and labels an extensive F-actin network that connects parasites within the parasitophorous vacuole and allows vesicles to be exchanged between parasites. In the absence of actin, parasites lack a residual body and inter-parasite connections and grow in an asynchronous and disorganized manner. Collectively, these data identify new roles for actin in the intracellular phase of the parasites lytic cycle and provide a robust new tool for imaging parasitic F-actin dynamics.
KEYWORDS:
cell biology; infectious disease; microbiology
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