Forward genetic analysis of the apicomplexan cell division cycle in Toxoplasma gondii.

ABSTRACT: Apicomplexa are obligate intracellular pathogens that have fine-tuned their proliferative strategies to match a large variety of host cells. A critical aspect of this adaptation is a flexible cell cycle that remains poorly understood at the mechanistic level. Here we describe a forward genetic dissection of the apicomplexan cell cycle using the Toxoplasma model. By high-throughput screening, we have isolated 165 temperature sensitive parasite growth mutants. Phenotypic analysis of these mutants suggests regulated progression through the parasite cell cycle with defined phases and checkpoints. These analyses also highlight the critical importance of the peculiar intranuclear spindle as the physical hub of cell cycle regulation. To link these phenotypes to parasite genes, we have developed a

SUBMITTER: Gubbels MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2242837 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature