title: Reassessing the mechanics of parasite motility and host-cell invasion.
abstract: The capacity to migrate is fundamental to multicellular and single-celled life. Apicomplexan parasites, an ancient protozoan clade that includes malaria parasites (Plasmodium) and Toxoplasma, achieve remarkable speeds of directional cell movement. This rapidity is achieved via a divergent actomyosin motor system, housed within a narrow compartment that lies underneath the length of the parasite plasma membrane. How this motor functions at a mechanistic level during motility and host cell invasion is a matter of debate. Here, we integrate old and new insights toward refining the current model for the function of this motor with the aim of revitalizing interest in the mechanics of how these deadly pathogens move.
authors: Institute of Advanced BioSciences, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1209, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38000, Grenoble, France isabelle.tardieux@inserm.fr jake.baum@imperial.ac.uk.
authors: Isabelle
authors: 0000-0002-5677-7463
authors: I
authors: Tardieux
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, England, UK isabelle.tardieux@inserm.fr jake.baum@imperial.ac.uk.
authors: Jake
authors: 0000-0002-0275-352X
authors: J
authors: Baum
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002465:Cell Movement; D048430:Cell Shape; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D010271:Parasites / Q000166:cytology*