biostudies-literatureSokol-Borrelli SLU.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical SciencesNIAID NIH HHSU.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesNINDS NIH HHSNIGMS NIH HHSU.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development6078https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10539341biostudies-literatureUnknown14(1)Identification of regulators of Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoite development and cyst formation is the most direct way to address the importance of parasite development in long-term persistence and reactivation of this parasite. Here we show that a T. gondii gene (named Regulator of Cystogenesis 1; ROCY1) is sufficient for T. gondii bradyzoite formation in vitro and in vivo. ROCY1 encodes an RNA binding protein that has a preference for 3' regulatory regions of hundreds of T. gondii transcripts, and its RNA-binding domains are required to mediate bradyzoite development. Female mice infected with ΔROCY1 parasites have reduced (>90%) cyst burden. While viable parasites can be cultivated from brain tissue for up to 6 months post-infection, chronic brain-resident ΔROCY1 parasites have reduced oralNature communicationsA transcriptional network required for bradyzoite development in Toxoplasma gondii is dispensable for recrudescent disease.PMC10539341F31 AI167594R01AI120846R01AI116855T32 GM133353F31NS118865R21 AI167662R01AI124723F31 NS118865R01 AI120846F31AI167594R21AI167662F31 AI140529R01 AI124723R01 AI116855T32GM133353F31AI140529P20 GM125498Cabo LFLodoen MBSullivan WJHolmes MJReilly SMAlrubaye HSSokol-Borrelli SLBoyle JPSharp KGMartorelli Di Genova BOrchanian SBMassmann MDfalseA transcriptional network required for bradyzoite development in Toxoplasma gondii is dispensable for recrudescent disease.Identification of regulators of Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoite development and cyst formation is the most direct way to address the importance of parasite development in long-term persistence and reactivation of this parasite. Here we show that a T. gondii gene (named Regulator of Cystogenesis 1; ROCY1) is sufficient for T. gondii bradyzoite formation in vitro and in vivo. ROCY1 encodes an RNA binding protein that has a preference for 3' regulatory regions of hundreds of T. gondii transcripts, and its RNA-binding domains are required to mediate bradyzoite development. Female mice infected with ΔROCY1 parasites have reduced (>90%) cyst burden. While viable parasites can be cultivated from brain tissue for up to 6 months post-infection, chronic brain-resident ΔROCY1 parasites have reduced oral2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Sep2026-07-14T18:49:36.826Z2025-04-04T08:24:11.227ZS-EPMC105393413777043310.1038/s41467-023-40948-w