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Genetic Study Of Apicomplexan Cell Cycle Helps Scientists Understand Parasite Biology
Apicomplexa is the name of a large group of microorganisms that include
the causes of malaria and toxoplasmosis. Presently, their complexities
make studying these parasites difficult, but a new model system may
faciliate new research. This was reported on February 15, 2008 in the
open-access journal PLoS
Pathogens, a part of the Public
Library of Science.
Researchers from the University of Georgia and Montana State University
have generated a method of conducting powerful genetic studies
of Apicomplexa parasites, beginning with Toxoplasma (the
source of toxoplasmosis,) as a model. In the method developed by the
team, large numbers of mutant parasites with defective growth were
created, along with tools to identify the genes containing the
mutations. Together, these will allow scientists to discover new genes
behind the biological processes essential to the parasites' success.
Previously, traditional model organisms such as yeast or E.
coli have been used by researchers to study the biological
processes of Apicomplexa. The results using these models has
been mixed because biological matches are difficult to find between
these organisms. Thus, many parts of the Apicomplexa life and
pathogenesis are still poorly understood at a mechanistic level.
Toxoplasma gondii, the cause of toxoplasmosis, was
the organism
examined in this particular study. While its primary host is the cat,
it can be carried in most warm-blooded animals. Infection is usually
benign -- in fact, twenty percent of the U.S. population is chronically
infected with the pathogen. However, severe disease can occur in immune
suppressed individuals, such as pregnant women or people with HIV/AIDS.
T. gondii proved a strong new model organism because
its microscopic
structures are clearly defined, its culture and manipulation is
relatively simple, and it is already generally better understood than
many Apicomplexa.
The tools developed specifically targeted the unusually "flexible" life
cycle of the cells, but it should have implications for other facets of
parasite biology. "Using this new approach, we have genetically
dissected the way the
parasite divides and multiplies within its host cell," stated co-author
Boris Striepen. "Importantly, this approach should be broadly
applicable,
allowing unbiased genetic analysis of any part of parasite biology for
which a screen can be devised using this model." An understanding of
how these parasites function is especially valuable because they infect
a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, and they occupy an
intracellular niche that allows them shelter from the immune system and
regular nutrients.
The paper published in PLoS Pathogens describes an analysis of the
apicomplexan cell division machinery in T. gondii,
but the implications of these techniques have the potential to be far
reaching in terms of global public health. In particular, this new
system could provide valuable information about
other Apicomplexa such as Plasmodium, the organism which
causes
malaria. Malaria presently infects hundreds of millions of people a
year, killing between one and three million, most of whom are children
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
"Protozoans causing malaria and other serious diseases affect millions
of people across the planet," says co-author Michael White. "These are
clever parasites that grow inside our own cells, and the more they
grow, the greater damage they cause. What we have done in the work
published in the PLoS paper is open the door to the critical
genes that these parasites must express in order to grow. These are the
`Achilles heels' of this pathogen family. Many of the genes are unique
and could give us valuable leads on how we might stop parasite growth
and prevent disease."
Finally, drug development to combat these diseases encounters many
problems, because Apicomplexa are eukaryotic organisms. Since
they have nucleii, many of the metabolic pathways employed are very
similar to those of their animal hosts. This means that many drugs
meant to kill or damage the parasites will also have deleterious
effects on the host animals. With a richer understanding of
how Apicomplexa work on a cellular and molecular level, it
will be possible to uncover differences in biology that can be
exploited for the design of drugs and vaccines.
Forward Genetic Analysis of the Apicomplexan Cell Division
Cycle in Toxoplasma gondii
Marc-Jan Gubbels, Margaret Lehmann, Mani Muthalagi, Maria E. Jerome,
Carrie F. Brooks, Tomasz Szatanek, Jayme Flynn, Ben Parrot, Josh Radke,
Boris Striepen, Michael W. White
PLoS Pathog 4(2): e36.
doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.0040036
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About PLoS Pathogens
PLoS Pathogens (www.plospathogens.org) publishes outstanding original
articles that significantly advance the understanding of pathogens and
how they interact with their host organisms. All works published in
PLoS Pathogens are open access. Everything is immediately available
subject only to the condition that the original authorship and source
are properly attributed. Copyright is retained by the authors. The
Public Library of Science uses the Creative Commons Attribution License.
About the Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of
scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific
and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more
information, visit http://www.plos.org.
Written by Anna Sophia McKenney
Copyright: Start Sanatate
Not to be reproduced without permission of Start Sanatate
Genetice de studiu Apicomplexan ciclu de celule ajutã oameni de ºtiinþã înþeleg parazit Biologie - Genetic Study Of Apicomplexan Cell Cycle Helps Scientists Understand Parasite Biology - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate