Co-dependent formation of the <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> subpellicular microtubules and inner membrane skeleton.

ABSTRACT: One of the defining features of apicomplexan parasites is their cytoskeleton composed of alveolar vesicles, known as the inner membrane complex (IMC) undergirded by an intermediate filament-like protein network and an array of subpellicular microtubules (SPMTs). In Toxoplasma gondii, this specialized cytoskeleton is involved in all aspects of the disease-causing lytic cycle and notably acts as a scaffold for parasite offspring in the internal budding process. Despite advances in our understanding of the architecture and molecular composition, insights pertaining to the coordinated assembly of the scaffold are still largely elusive. Here, T. gondii tachyzoites were dissected by advanced, iterative expansion microscopy (pan-expansion microscopy), revealing new insights into the

SUBMITTER: Engelberg K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12421850 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature