Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligatory intracellular parasite, an important human pathogen, and a convenient laboratory model for many other human and veterinary pathogens in the phylum Apicomplexa, such as Plasmodium, Eimeria, and Cryptosporidia. 22 subpellicular microtubules form a scaffold that defines the cell shape of T. gondii. Its cytoskeleton also includes an intricate apical structure consisting of the conoid, two intraconoid microtubules, and two polar rings. The conoid is a 380-nm diameter motile organelle, consisting of fibers wound into a spiral like a compressed spring. FRAP analysis of transgenic T. gondii expressing YFP-α-tubulin reveals that the conoid fibers are assembled by rapid incorporation of tubulin subunits during early, but not late, stages of cell division. Electron microscopic analysis shows that in the mature conoid, tubulin is arranged into a novel polymer form that is quite different from typical microtubules.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1039-1050 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Cell Biology |
Volume | 156 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 18 2002 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Apicomplexan parasites
- Cryoelectron microscopy
- Cytoskeleton
- Microtubules
- Motility
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cell Biology