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Projekt Druckansicht

Eine neuartige Lipid (Phosphatidylthreonin)-regulierte Calciumhomöostase in Toxoplasma gondii

Antragsteller Dr. Nishith Gupta
Fachliche Zuordnung Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Mykologie, Hygiene, Molekulare Infektionsbiologie
Stoffwechselphysiologie, Biochemie und Genetik der Mikroorganismen
Förderung Förderung von 2014 bis 2022
Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 245364597
 

Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse

Like any other eukaryotic cells, the membrane of Toxoplasma gondii contains different phospholipids. Few phospholipids are generic such as phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho), phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn), phosphatidylserine (PtdSer), phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) and sphingomyelin, whereas others are rather exclusive to certain parasitic protists, e.g., phosphatidylthreonine (PtdThr). PtdThr is a natural structural analog of otherwise-universal PtdSer. T. gondii harbors de novo pathways to synthesize several phospholipids but at the same time, it can also salvage selected lipids from its host cell. Our previous works have revealed the important role of PtdThr in parasite motility, and locomotion-dependent invasion and egress events, indicating a connection between PtdThr and calcium signaling. Similarly, we found a number of P4-ATPAse proteins potentially involved in flipping of PtdSer and PtdThr. Phospholipid biosynthesis takes place at different subcellular locations in the parasite. PtdThr, PtdCho, and PtdSer are produced in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas PtdEtn is made at many places including the ER, mitochondrion and parasitophorous vacuole (PV). In the current project, we have investigated the role of PtdThr and PtdIns in parasite growth and virulence. At the same time, the grant has helped us understand the role of flippase in PtdSer flipping and calcium homeostasis by SERCA. We have identified five P4-ATPases (P4-ATPase1-5) in Toxoplasma and characterized them. Most of the work is published and a manuscript is under submission.

Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)

  • Phosphatidylinositol synthesis, its selective salvage, and inter-regulation of anionic phospholipids in Toxoplasma gondii. Communications Biology, 3(1).
    Ren, Bingjian; Kong, Pengfei; Hedar, Fatima; Brouwers, Jos F. & Gupta, Nishith
  • Aminoglycerophospholipid flipping and P4-ATPases in Toxoplasma gondii. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 296(2021, 1), 100315.
    Chen, Kai; Günay-Esiyok, Özlem; Klingeberg, Melissa; Marquardt, Stephan; Pomorski, Thomas Günther & Gupta, Nishith
  • Apically-located P4-ATPase1-Lem1 complex internalizes phosphatidylserine and regulates motility-dependent invasion and egress in Toxoplasma gondii. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, 21(2023), 1893-1906.
    Chen, Kai; Huang, Xiyu; Distler, Ute; Tenzer, Stefan; Günay-Esiyok, Özlem & Gupta, Nishith
 
 

Zusatzinformationen

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