Targeting Toxoplasma gondii CPSF3 as a new approach to control toxoplasmosis.

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii is an important food and waterborne pathogen causing toxoplasmosis, a potentially severe disease in immunocompromised or congenitally infected humans. Available therapeutic agents are limited by suboptimal efficacy and frequent side effects that can lead to treatment discontinuation. Here we report that the benzoxaborole AN3661 had potent in vitro activity against T. gondii Parasites selected to be resistant to AN3661 had mutations in TgCPSF3, which encodes a homologue of cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor subunit 3 (CPSF-73 or CPSF3), an endonuclease involved in mRNA processing in eukaryotes. Point mutations in TgCPSF3 introduced into wild-type parasites using the CRISPR/Cas9 system recapitulated the resistance phenotype. I

SUBMITTER: Palencia A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5331205 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature