title: Regulation of apicomplexan microfilament dynamics by a minimal set of actin-binding proteins.
abstract: Efficient and rapid host cell invasion is a prerequisite for an intracellular parasitic life style. Pathogens typically induce receptor-mediated endocytosis and hijack the force-transducing system of a host cell to gain access to a replication-competent niche. In striking contrast, apicomplexan parasites such as Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, and the human and animal pathogens Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium employ their own actomyosin motor machinery to propel themselves into prospective host cells. Understanding the regulation and dynamics of actin-based motility of these parasites is therefore central to understanding their pathogenesis. The parasite genomes harbour surprisingly few potential actin-regulatory proteins indicating that a basic repertoire meets the requirements to regulate actin dynamics. In this article, we summarize our current knowledge of Plasmodium microfilament dynamics and describe its potential players.
authors.affiliation: Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin 13125, Germany. schueler@mdc-berlin.de
authors.forename: Herwig
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schüler
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matuschewski
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D016782:Apicomplexa / Q000378:metabolism*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins