Tipped Off

Apicomplexan parasites attack cells head on. There are thousands of species of these parasites, and they cause diseases from malaria to toxoplasmosis, but they all share certain characteristics, including key features of their movement. A new study examining how the particularly successful Toxoplasma gondii invades cells and spreads through tissues, investigated the apical complex at the leading tip of the parasite that connects first with cells. The researchers discovered a new component, the Preconoidal region protein 2 (Pcr2, stained green, gathered at the tips of the parasite pictured). Parasites with Pcr2 removed moved in a spasmodic way, which reduced their ability to move in and out of cells, limiting the destruction they could cause to host tissues and interrupting the life cycle. This opens up new avenues of understanding around how mechanical interactions impact parasite motility, how persistent movement influences invasiveness, and perhaps points to new approaches to tackle infection.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis

Writer

Ant was the web editor in the early days of BPoD, and has since worked with the UK’s top science organisations as a writer and multimedia producer. He now splits his time between freelance work and managing multimedia at The Lancet.

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• Image from work by Jonathan Munera Lopez and colleagues
• Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution/School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in PLOS Pathogens, August 2022