Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Toxoplasma gondii myosins B/C: one gene, two tails, two localizations, and a role in parasite division

Published inThe Journal of cell biology, vol. 155, no. 4, p. 613-623
Publication date2001
Abstract

In apicomplexan parasites, actin-disrupting drugs and the inhibitor of myosin heavy chain ATPase, 2,3-butanedione monoxime, have been shown to interfere with host cell invasion by inhibiting parasite gliding motility. We report here that the actomyosin system of Toxoplasma gondii also contributes to the process of cell division by ensuring accurate budding of daughter cells. T. gondii myosins B and C are encoded by alternatively spliced mRNAs and differ only in their COOH-terminal tails. MyoB and MyoC showed distinct subcellular localizations and dissimilar solubilities, which were conferred by their tails. MyoC is the first marker selectively concentrated at the anterior and posterior polar rings of the inner membrane complex, structures that play a key role in cell shape integrity during daughter cell biogenesis. When transiently expressed, MyoB, MyoC, as well as the common motor domain lacking the tail did not distribute evenly between daughter cells, suggesting some impairment in proper segregation. Stable overexpression of MyoB caused a significant defect in parasite cell division, leading to the formation of extensive residual bodies, a substantial delay in replication, and loss of acute virulence in mice. Altogether, these observations suggest that MyoB/C products play a role in proper daughter cell budding and separation.

Keywords
  • Alternative Splicing
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Binding Sites
  • Cell Division
  • Cell Fractionation
  • DNA, Protozoan
  • Detergents
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Genes, Protozoan
  • Introns
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Myosins/genetics/metabolism/physiology
  • Protein Isoforms/genetics/metabolism/physiology
  • Protozoan Proteins/genetics/metabolism/physiology
  • Solubility
  • Toxoplasma/genetics/metabolism/pathogenicity/ultrastructure
  • Toxoplasmosis/parasitology
  • Virulence
Affiliation entities Not a UNIGE publication
Citation (ISO format)
DELBAC, F et al. Toxoplasma gondii myosins B/C: one gene, two tails, two localizations, and a role in parasite division. In: The Journal of cell biology, 2001, vol. 155, n° 4, p. 613–623. doi: 10.1083/jcb.200012116
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
Journal ISSN0021-9525
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212downloads

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