A5018776729- Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
- Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments
- Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus research
- Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics
- Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Coccidia and coccidiosis research
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Animal Nutrition and Physiology
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Helminth infection and control
- Veterinary medicine and infectious diseases
- Polyamine Metabolism and Applications
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- interferon and immune responses
- Microbial infections and disease research
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Cellular transport and secretion
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Escherichia coli research studies
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
Huazhong Agricultural University
2016-2025
Hubei Zhongshan Hospital
2022-2024
Wuhan University
2022-2024
Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen
2022-2024
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
2022-2024
State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology
2022-2024
Shanghai Zhangjiang Laboratory
2022-2024
Center of Hubei Cooperative Innovation for Emissions Trading System
2024
Washington University in St. Louis
2011-2019
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
2014
Toxoplasma gondii has become a model for studying the phylum Apicomplexa, in part due to availability of excellent genetic tools. Although reverse tools are available few widely utilized laboratory strains, they rely on special backgrounds that not easily implemented natural isolates. Recent progress modifying CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats), system DNA recognition used as defense mechanism bacteria and archaea, led extremely efficient gene disruption...
Despite being a frequent cause of severe diarrheal disease in infants and an opportunistic infection immunocompromised patients, Cryptosporidium research has lagged due to lack facile experimental methods. Here, we describe platform for complete life cycle development long-term growth C. parvum vitro using "air-liquid interface" (ALI) cultures derived from intestinal epithelial stem cells. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that differentiating cells grown under ALI conditions undergo...
Summary Z‐ring assembly requires polymers of the tubulin homologue FtsZ to be tethered membrane. Although either ZipA or FtsA is sufficient do this, both these are required for recruitment downstream proteins form a functional cytokinetic ring. Gain function mutations in ftsA , such as * ( ftsA‐R286W ), bypass requirement suggesting that this atypical, well‐conserved, actin has more critical role function. forms multimers vitro and vivo but little known about polymerization. In study we...
Gliding motility and host-cell invasion by apicomplexan parasites depend on cell-surface adhesins that are translocated via an actin-myosin motor beneath the membrane. The current model posits fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (ALD) provides a critical link between cytoplasmic tails of transmembrane motor. Here we tested this using Toxoplasma gondii apical membrane protein 1 (TgAMA1), which binds to in vitro. TgAMA1 tail mutations disrupt ALD binding vitro showed no correlation with...
Abstract In the unprecedented single-cell sequencing and spatial multiomics era of biology, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technologies with higher sensitivity robustness, especially for detecting short RNAs other biomolecules, are greatly desired. Here, we develop robust multiplex π-FISH rainbow method to detect diverse biomolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins, neurotransmitters) individually or simultaneously high efficiency. This versatile is successfully applied gene expression...
Summary The Escherichia coli Min system contributes to spatial regulation of cytokinesis by preventing assembly the Z ring away from midcell. MinC is a cell division inhibitor whose activity spatially regulated MinD and MinE. has two functional domains similar size, both which have inhibitory in proper context. However, molecular mechanism action either domain not very clear. Here, we report that septal localization C /MinD requires conserved C‐terminal tail FtsZ. This also mediates...
In Escherichia coli the Min system prevents Z ring assembly at cell poles by topologically regulating division inhibitor MinC. The MinC protein has two domains of equal size and both can target FtsZ block in proper context. Recently, we have shown that, along with MinD, C-terminal domain (MinC(C)) competes FtsA, to a lesser extent ZipA, for interaction tail division. Here explored between N-terminal (MinC(N)) FtsZ. A search mutations ftsZ that confer resistance MinC(N) identified an...
ABSTRACT Host cell invasion by Toxoplasma gondii and other apicomplexan parasites requires transmembrane adhesins that mediate binding to receptors on the substrate host facilitate motility invasion. Rhomboid proteases (ROMs) are thought cleave within their segments, thus allowing parasite disengage from completely enter cell. To examine specific roles of individual ROMs during invasion, we generated single, double, triple knockouts for three expressed in T. tachyzoites. Analysis these...
Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread intracellular pathogen infecting humans and variety of animals. Previous studies have shown that uses glucose glutamine as the main carbon sources to support asexual reproduction, but neither nutrient essential. Such metabolic flexibility may allow it survive within diverse host cell types. Here, by focusing on glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase (PYK) converts phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) into pyruvate, we found can also utilize lactate alanine. We show...
Glycolysis was thought to be the major pathway of energy supply in both fast-replicating tachyzoites and slowly growing bradyzoites Toxoplasma gondii. However, its biological significance has not been clearly verified. The genome T. gondii encodes two lactate dehydrogenases (LDHs), which are differentially expressed bradyzoites. In this study, we knocked out LDH genes individually combination found that neither gene required for tachyzoite growth vitro under standard conditions. during...
Toxoplasma gondii is a common protozoan parasite that infects wide range of hosts, including livestock and humans. Previous studies have suggested the type 2 fatty acid synthesis (FAS2) pathway, located in apicoplast (a nonphotosynthetic plastid relict), crucial for parasite's survival. Here we examined physiological relevance T. by focusing on pyruvate dehydrogenase complex malonyl-CoA-[acyl carrier protein] transacylase (FabD), which are to drive de novo biosynthesis. Our results disclosed...
Abstract The ubiquitous pathogen Toxoplasma gondii has a complex lifestyle with different metabolic activities at stages that are intimately linked to the parasitic environments. Here we identified eukaryotic regulator of cellular homeostasis AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in and discovered its role programming during parasite’s lytic cycle. catalytic subunit AMPKα is quickly phosphorylated after release intracellular parasites extracellular environments, driving energy-producing...
ABSTRACT A transition from the asexual to sexual development in widespread intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii requires stage switching its feline (definitive) host, but mechanisms governing this process remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate a novel apicomplexan-specific transcription factor, Tg AP2XII-1, that controls of acutely infectious tachyzoite presexual merozoite stage. The AP2XII-1 deletion mutants are elongated and replicate as merozoites by endopolygeny instead endodyogeny,...
Abstract Background Chicken coccidiosis is an intracellular parasitic disease that presents major challenges to the development of commercial poultry industry. Perennial drug selective pressure has led multi-drug resistance chicken coccidia, which makes prevention and control extremely difficult. In recent years, natural plant products have attracted attention researchers due their inherent advantages, such as absence veterinary residues. The these provides a new direction for treatment...
ABSTRACT Toxoplasma gondii infects nucleated cells of warm-blooded animals and cause zoonotic toxoplasmosis. Lysine lactylation, as a novel post-translational modification, is essential for epigenetic regulation cellular processes, proteomic analyses have shown that lactylated proteins are involved in wide range biological processes including energy metabolism, gene regulation, protein biosynthesis. Additionally, lactylation prevalent T. , while its regulatory mechanisms not been fully...
Toxoplasma gondii is an important zoonotic pathogen infecting one-third of the world's population and numerous animals, causing significant healthcare burden socioeconomic problems. Vaccination efficient way to reduce global sero-prevalence, however ideal vaccines are not yet available. We recently discovered that mutant lacking both lactate dehydrogenases LDH1 LDH2 (Δldh) grew well in vitro but was unable propagate mice, making it a good live vaccine candidate. Here we tested protection...
Avian coccidiosis is an intracellular intestinal parasitic disease, caused by parasites from the genus Eimeria, among which Eimeria tenella one of most pathogenic species and causes great economic losses. Frequent applications anticoccidial drugs have resulted in development drug-resistance E. tenella. In present study, we sought to determine genetic diversity isolates prevalent chicken farms Hubei Province China examine their sensitivity three drugs. The results provide useful information...
Metabolic pathways underpin the growth and virulence of intracellular parasites are therefore promising antiparasitic targets. The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is vital in most organisms, providing a reduced form nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADPH) ribose sugar for nucleotide synthesis; however, it has not yet been studied Toxoplasma gondii , widespread pathogen model protozoan organism. Herein, we show that T . functional PPP distributed cytoplasm nucleus its acutely-infectious...
Many apicomplexan parasites harbor a non-photosynthetic plastid called the apicoplast, which hosts important metabolic pathways like methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway that synthesizes isoprenoid precursors. Yet many details in apicoplast metabolism are not well understood. In this study, we examined physiological roles of four glycolytic enzymes Toxoplasma gondii . T have two or more isoforms. Endogenous tagging each these found them were localized to including pyruvate kinase2...
Pyruvate lies at a pivotal node of carbon metabolism in eukaryotes. It is involved diverse metabolic pathways multiple organelles, and its interorganelle shuttling crucial for cell fitness. Many apicomplexan parasites harbor unique organelle called the apicoplast that houses like fatty acid isoprenoid precursor biosyntheses, requiring pyruvate as substrate. However, how supplied remains enigmatic. Here, deploying zoonotic parasite