Toxoplasma gondii remodels host cell surfaces to enable invasion
Researchers at Whitehead Institute discovered that Toxoplasma gondii reorganizes proteins on host cells to create entry points, a finding published in The EMBO Journal on Sept. 25.
Parasite triggers its own entry
The parasite does not simply find an existing doorway into the cell. Instead, it actively helps create the conditions required for its own invasion. This process involves reorganizing sugar-coated proteins found on the host cell surface.
Specialized membrane patches form
These specialized membrane patches depend on cholesterol to function correctly. The remodeling of the host cell surface occurs before the parasite can enter. This activity allows the invasion machinery to trigger successfully within less than a minute.
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