ROP16-mediated activation of STAT6 enhances cyst development of type III Toxoplasma gondii in neurons.

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii establishes a long-lived latent infection in the central nervous system (CNS) of its hosts. Reactivation in immunocompromised individuals can lead to life threatening disease. Latent infection is driven by the ability of the parasite to convert from the acute-stage tachyzoite to the latent-stage bradyzoite which resides in long-lived intracellular cysts. While much work has focused on the parasitic factors that drive cyst development, the host factors that influence encystment are not well defined. Here we show that a polymorphic secreted parasite kinase (ROP16), that phosphorylates host cell proteins, mediates efficient encystment of T. gondii in a stress-induced model of encystment and primary neuronal cell cultures (PNCs) in a strain-specific manner. Using short-hairpi

SUBMITTER: Kochanowsky JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10138205 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature