title: Protein trafficking in apicomplexan parasites: crossing the vacuolar Rubicon.
abstract: Although apicomplexans like the blood stages of Plasmodium and the actively replicating 'tachyzoite' stage of Toxoplasma infect very dissimilar host cells, recent studies suggest they share molecular commonalities amongst differences at the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM) surrounding these intracellular parasites. A protein translocation export (PTEX) complex in the PVM of Plasmodium, is functionally informed by findings in Toxoplasma. Lipids play a role in trafficking to and across the PVM. Toxoplasma exploit an orthologue of a plasmodial secretory aspartyl protease but substrate cleavage yields a signal for targeting to the PVM, rather than directly to the host cell. The studies significantly advance understanding of how trafficking to and across the host-pathogen PVM boundary induces virulence and disease in different host milieu.
authors.affiliation: Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, University of Notre Dame, 103 Galvin Life Sciences, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 103 Galvin Life Sciences, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA. Electronic address: khaldar@nd.edu.
authors.forename: Kasturi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haldar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000502:physiology; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010716:Phosphatidylinositols; D015800:Protozoan Proteins