A Spinster-like Transporter at the Inner Membrane Complex is critical for Toxoplasma gondii cytokinesis, motility and invasion.

ABSTRACT: The Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS) comprises a large and diverse group of membrane transport proteins involved in the translocation of metabolites across cellular membranes. The genome of Toxoplasma gondii encodes approximately 60 putative MFS transporters, yet the functions of most remain poorly characterized. Conserved across the superphylum Alveolata, the inner membrane complex (IMC) is a specialized peripheral membrane system essential for parasite replication, structural integrity, motility, and host cell invasion. Here, we identify Toxoplasma gondii Daughter Cell Transporter 1 (TgDCT1), a previously uncharacterized MFS transporter, as a critical regulator of daughter cell formation. TgDCT1 localizes predominantly to the daughter cell IMC and contains a predicted spinster-like MF

SUBMITTER: Sanchez SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12871999 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature