scholarly journals Cell Division in Apicomplexan Parasites Is Organized by a Homolog of the Striated Rootlet Fiber of Algal Flagella

PLoS Biology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e1001444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria E. Francia ◽  
Carly N. Jordan ◽  
Jay D. Patel ◽  
Lilach Sheiner ◽  
Jessica L. Demerly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasites ◽  
Striated Rootlet

scholarly journals Toxoplasma gondii myosins B/C

2001 ◽  
Vol 155 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Delbac ◽  
Astrid Sänger ◽  
Eva M. Neuhaus ◽  
Rolf Stratmann ◽  
James W. Ajioka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Daughter Cell ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasites ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Alternatively Spliced ◽  
Butanedione Monoxime ◽  
Inner Membrane Complex

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.

scholarly journals The Plastid of Toxoplasma gondii Is Divided by Association with the Centrosomes

2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (7) ◽  
pp. 1423-1434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Striepen ◽  
Michael J. Crawford ◽  
Michael K. Shaw ◽  
Lewis G. Tilney ◽  
Frank Seeber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Recombinant Expression ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Microtubule Organization ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasites ◽  
Daughter Cells

Apicomplexan parasites harbor a single nonphotosynthetic plastid, the apicoplast, which is essential for parasite survival. Exploiting Toxoplasma gondii as an accessible system for cell biological analysis and molecular genetic manipulation, we have studied how these parasites ensure that the plastid and its 35-kb circular genome are faithfully segregated during cell division. Parasite organelles were labeled by recombinant expression of fluorescent proteins targeted to the plastid and the nucleus, and time-lapse video microscopy was used to image labeled organelles throughout the cell cycle. Apicoplast division is tightly associated with nuclear and cell division and is characterized by an elongated, dumbbell-shaped intermediate. The plastid genome is divided early in this process, associating with the ends of the elongated organelle. A centrin-specific antibody demonstrates that the ends of dividing apicoplast are closely linked to the centrosomes. Treatment with dinitroaniline herbicides (which disrupt microtubule organization) leads to the formation of multiple spindles and large reticulate plastids studded with centrosomes. The mitotic spindle and the pellicle of the forming daughter cells appear to generate the force required for apicoplast division in Toxoplasma gondii. These observations are discussed in the context of autonomous and FtsZ-dependent division of plastids in plants and algae.

scholarly journals A Novel Actin-Related Protein Is Associated with Daughter Cell Formation in Toxoplasma gondii

2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 1500-1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Gordon ◽  
Wandy L. Beatty ◽  
L. David Sibley
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Daughter Cell ◽  
Cell Formation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasites ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Transport Vesicles ◽  
Inner Membrane Complex

ABSTRACT Cell division in Toxoplasma gondii occurs by an unusual budding mechanism termed endodyogeny, during which twin daughters are formed within the body of the mother cell. Cytokinesis begins with the coordinated assembly of the inner membrane complex (IMC), which surrounds the growing daughter cells. The IMC is compiled of both flattened membrane cisternae and subpellicular filaments composed of articulin-like proteins attached to underlying singlet microtubules. While proteins that comprise the elongating IMC have been described, little is known about its initial formation. Using Toxoplasma as a model system, we demonstrate that actin-like protein 1 (ALP1) is partially redistributed to the IMC at early stages in its formation. Immunoelectron microscopy localized ALP1 to a discrete region of the nuclear envelope, on transport vesicles, and on the nascent IMC of the daughter cells prior to the arrival of proteins such as IMC-1. The overexpression of ALP1 under the control of a strong constitutive promoter disrupted the formation of the daughter cell IMC, leading to delayed growth and defects in nuclear and apicoplast segregation. Collectively, these data suggest that ALP1 participates in the formation of daughter cell membranes during cell division in apicomplexan parasites.

Cell division in apicomplexan parasites

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria E. Francia ◽  
Boris Striepen
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasites

scholarly journals Daughter Cell Assembly in the Protozoan ParasiteToxoplasma gondii

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 593-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Hu ◽  
Tara Mann ◽  
Boris Striepen ◽  
Con J. M. Beckers ◽  
David S. Roos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasites ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Ideal System ◽  
Animal Pathogens ◽  
Inner Membrane Complex

The phylum Apicomplexa includes thousands of species of obligate intracellular parasites, many of which are significant human and/or animal pathogens. Parasites in this phylum replicate by assembling daughters within the mother, using a cytoskeletal and membranous scaffolding termed the inner membrane complex. Most apicomplexan parasites, including Plasmodium sp. (which cause malaria), package many daughters within a single mother during mitosis, whereas Toxoplasma gondii typically packages only two. The comparatively simple pattern of T. gondii cell division, combined with its molecular genetic and cell biological accessibility, makes this an ideal system to study parasite cell division. A recombinant fusion between the fluorescent protein reporter YFP and the inner membrane complex protein IMC1 has been exploited to examine daughter scaffold formation in T. gondii.Time-lapse video microscopy permits the entire cell cycle of these parasites to be visualized in vivo. In addition to replication via endodyogeny (packaging two parasites at a time), T. gondii is also capable of forming multiple daughters, suggesting fundamental similarities between cell division in T. gondii and other apicomplexan parasites.

Unconventional Specimen Preparation Techniques Using High Resolution Low Voltage Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy to Study Cell Motility, Host Cell Invasion, and Internal Cell Structures in Toxoplasma gondii

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heide Schatten ◽  
Hans Ris
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Host Cell ◽  
Cell Invasion ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Cytoskeletal Proteins ◽  
Specimen Preparation ◽  
Host Cell Invasion ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasites ◽  
Preparation Techniques

Apicomplexan parasites employ complex and unconventional mechanisms for cell locomotion, host cell invasion, and cell division that are only poorly understood. While immunofluorescence and conventional transmission electron microscopy have been used to answer questions about the localization of some cytoskeletal proteins and cell organelles, many questions remain unanswered, partly because new methods are needed to study the complex interactions of cytoskeletal proteins and organelles that play a role in cell locomotion, host cell invasion, and cell division. The choice of fixation and preparation methods has proven critical for the analysis of cytoskeletal proteins because of the rapid turnover of actin filaments and the dense spatial organization of the cytoskeleton and its association with the complex membrane system. Here we introduce new methods to study structural aspects of cytoskeletal motility, host cell invasion, and cell division of Toxoplasma gondii, a most suitable laboratory model that is representative of apicomplexan parasites. The novel approach in our experiments is the use of high resolution low voltage field emission scanning electron microscopy (LVFESEM) combined with two new specimen preparation techniques. The first method uses LVFESEM after membrane extraction and stabilization of the cytoskeleton. This method allows viewing of actin filaments which had not been possible with any other method available so far. The second approach of imaging the parasite's ultrastructure and interactions with host cells uses semithick sections (200 nm) that are resin de-embedded (Ris and Malecki, 1993) and imaged with LVFESEM. This method allows analysis of structural detail in the parasite before and after host cell invasion and interactions with the membrane of the parasitophorous vacuole as well as parasite cell division.

scholarly journals A checkpoint roadmap for the complex cell division of Apicomplexa parasites

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmelo A. Alvarez ◽  
Elena S. Suvorova
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Cycles ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasites ◽  
Mitotic Kinases ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
G1 Phase Arrest ◽  
Molecular Machinery ◽  
Parasite Replication ◽  
Spindle Function ◽  
P Type

ABSTRACTThe unusual cell cycles of Apicomplexa parasites are remarkably flexible with the ability to complete cytokinesis and karyokinesis coordinately or postpone cytokinesis for several rounds of chromosome replication are well recognized. Despite this surprising biology, the molecular machinery required to achieve this flexibility is largely unknown. In this study, we provide comprehensive experimental evidence that apicomplexan parasites utilize multiple Cdk-related kinases (Crks) to coordinate cell division. We determined that Toxoplasma gondii encodes seven atypical P-, H-, Y- and L- type cyclins and ten Crks to regulate cellular processes. We generated and analyzed conditional tet-OFF mutants for seven TgCrks and four TgCyclins that are expressed in the tachyzoite stage. These experiments demonstrated that TgCrk1, TgCrk2, TgCrk4 and TgCrk6, were required or essential for tachyzoite growth revealing a remarkable number of Crk factors that are necessary for parasite replication. G1 phase arrest resulted from the loss of cytoplasmic TgCrk2 that interacted with a P-type cyclin demonstrating that an atypical mechanism controls half the T. gondii cell cycle. We showed that T. gondii employs at least three TgCrks to complete mitosis. Novel kinases, TgCrk6 and TgCrk4 were required for spindle function and centrosome duplication, respectively, while TgCrk1 and its partner TgCycL were essential for daughter bud assembly. Intriguingly, mitotic kinases TgCrk4 and TgCrk6 did not interact with any cyclin tested and were instead dynamically expressed during mitosis indicating they may not require a cyclin timing mechanism. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that apicomplexan parasites utilize distinctive and complex mechanisms to coordinate their novel replicative cycles.

scholarly journals The Modular Circuitry of Apicomplexan Cell Division Plasticity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc-Jan Gubbels ◽  
Isabelle Coppens ◽  
Kourosh Zarringhalam ◽  
Manoj T. Duraisingh ◽  
Klemens Engelberg
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Cell Cycle Regulators ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasites ◽  
Secondary Messengers ◽  
Acting In Concert

The close-knit group of apicomplexan parasites displays a wide variety of cell division modes, which differ between parasites as well as between different life stages within a single parasite species. The beginning and endpoint of the asexual replication cycles is a ‘zoite’ harboring the defining apical organelles required for host cell invasion. However, the number of zoites produced per division round varies dramatically and can unfold in several different ways. This plasticity of the cell division cycle originates from a combination of hard-wired developmental programs modulated by environmental triggers. Although the environmental triggers and sensors differ between species and developmental stages, widely conserved secondary messengers mediate the signal transduction pathways. These environmental and genetic input integrate in division-mode specific chromosome organization and chromatin modifications that set the stage for each division mode. Cell cycle progression is conveyed by a smorgasbord of positively and negatively acting transcription factors, often acting in concert with epigenetic reader complexes, that can vary dramatically between species as well as division modes. A unique set of cell cycle regulators with spatially distinct localization patterns insert discrete check points which permit individual control and can uncouple general cell cycle progression from nuclear amplification. Clusters of expressed genes are grouped into four functional modules seen in all division modes: 1. mother cytoskeleton disassembly; 2. DNA replication and segregation (D&S); 3. karyokinesis; 4. zoite assembly. A plug-and-play strategy results in the variety of extant division modes. The timing of mother cytoskeleton disassembly is hard-wired at the species level for asexual division modes: it is either the first step, or it is the last step. In the former scenario zoite assembly occurs at the plasma membrane (external budding), and in the latter scenario zoites are assembled in the cytoplasm (internal budding). The number of times each other module is repeated can vary regardless of this first decision, and defines the modes of cell division: schizogony, binary fission, endodyogeny, endopolygeny.

The Ultrastructure of the Nuclear Events of Binary Fission in Paramecium bursaria and the Effects of Colchicine on Cell Division

1974 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 276-277
Author(s):  
L. M. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Condensed Chromatin ◽  
Binary Fission ◽  
Paramecium Bursaria ◽  
Nuclear Events ◽  
Division Axis

The effects of colchicine on extranuclear microtubules associated with the macronucleus of Paramecium bursaria were studied to determine the possible role that these microtubules play in controlling the shape of the macronucleus. In the course of this study, the ultrastructure of the nuclear events of binary fission in control cells was also studied.During interphase in control cells, the micronucleus contains randomly distributed clumps of condensed chromatin and microtubular fragments. Throughout mitosis the nuclear envelope remains intact. During micronuclear prophase, cup-shaped microfilamentous structures appear that are filled with condensing chromatin. Microtubules are also present and are parallel to the division axis.

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