title: Research advances in interactions related to Toxoplasma gondii microneme proteins.
abstract: Toxoplasma gondii microneme proteins (TgMICs), secreted by micronemes upon contact with host cells, are reported to play important roles in multiple stages of the T. gondii life cycle, including parasite motility, invasion, intracellular survival, and egress from host cells. Meanwhile, during these processes, TgMICs participate in many protein-protein and protein-carbohydrate interactions, such as undergoing proteolytic maturation, binding to aldolase, engaging the host cell receptors and forming the moving junction (MJ), relying on different types of ectodomains, transmembrane (TM) domains and cytoplasmic domains (CDs). In this review, we summarize the research advances in protein-protein and protein-carbohydrate interactions related to TgMICs, and their intimate associations with corresponding biological processes during T. gondii infection, which will contribute to an improved understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of T. gondii infection, and provide a basis for developing effective control strategies against T. gondii.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730046, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan Province 410128, PR China. Electronic address: 915682397@qq.com.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730046, PR China. Electronic address: lifacai@caas.cn.
authors.forename: Fa-Cai
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730046, PR China; National Animal Protozoa Laboratory and College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China. Electronic address: zhouchunxue23@163.com.
authors.forename: Chun-Xue
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730046, PR China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan Province 410128, PR China. Electronic address: xingquanzhu1@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xing-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D005634:Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase / Q000378:metabolism; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D059748:Proteolysis; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases; D005634:Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase
keywords: Host cells; Microneme proteins; Protein-carbohydrate interactions; Protein-protein interactions; Toxoplasma gondii