3D reconstructions of parasite development and the intracellular niche of the microsporidian pathogen Encephalitozoon intestinalis.

ABSTRACT: Microsporidia are an early-diverging group of fungal pathogens with a wide host range. Several microsporidian species cause opportunistic infections in humans that can be fatal. As obligate intracellular parasites with highly reduced genomes, microsporidia are dependent on host metabolites for successful replication and development. Our knowledge of microsporidian intracellular development remains rudimentary, and our understanding of the intracellular niche occupied by microsporidia has relied on 2D TEM images and light microscopy. Here, we use serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) to capture 3D snapshots of the human-infecting species, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, within host cells. We track E. intestinalis development through its life cycle, which allows us to propos

SUBMITTER: Antao NV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10667486 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature