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Summary: Role of Toxoplasma gondii
Myosin A in Powering Parasite
Gliding and Host Cell Invasion
Markus Meissner,1
Dirk Schlušter,2
Dominique Soldati1
*
Obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasites rely on gliding motion powered
by their actomyosin system to disperse throughout tissues and to penetrate
host cells. Toxoplasma gondii myosin A has been implicated in this process, but
direct proof has been lacking. We designed a genetic screen to generate a
tetracycline-inducible transactivator system in T. gondii. The MyoA gene was
disrupted in the presence of a second regulatable copy of MyoA. Conditional
removal of this myosin caused severe impairment in host cell invasion and
parasite spreading in cultured cells, and unambiguously established the patho-
genic function of this motor in an animal model.
Among the many vital functions of an obli-
gate intracellular parasite, host cell invasion
is a prerequisite for survival and replication,
and this process is dependent on the ability of
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