Enzymatically enhanced ultrastructure expansion microscopy unlocks expansion of in vitro Toxoplasma gondii cysts.

ABSTRACT: Expansion microscopy (ExM) is an innovative approach to achieve super-resolution images without using super-resolution microscopes, based on the physical expansion of the sample. The advent of ExM has unlocked the detail of super-resolution images for a broader scientific circle, lowering the cost and entry skill requirements for the field. One of its branches, ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM), has become popular among research groups studying apicomplexan parasites, including the acute stage of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Here, we show that the chronic cyst-forming stage of Toxoplasma, however, resists U-ExM expansion, impeding precise protein localization. We then solve the in vitro cyst's resistance to denaturation required for successful U-ExM. As the c

SUBMITTER: Bondarenko K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11423595 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature