Toxoplasma gondii F-actin forms an extensive filamentous network required for material exchange and parasite maturation

• DOI: 10.7554/elife.24119
• Publication Date: 2017-03-21T00:00:14Z
• Authors: Javier Periz; Jamie Whitelaw; Clare Harding; Simon Gras; Mario Igor Del Ro...; Fernanda Latorre-...; Leandro Lemgruber; Madita Alice Reimer; Robert Insall; Aoife Heaslip; Markus Meissner
• Keywords: Intracellular parasite; Actin remodeling; Obligate parasite; Profilin

Apicomplexan actin is important during the parasite's life cycle. Its polymerization kinetics are unusual, permitting only short, unstable F-actin filaments. It has not been possible to study in vivo and so its physiological roles have remained obscure, leading models distinct from conventional behaviour. Here a modified version of commercially available actin-chromobody was tested as novel tool for visualising dynamics Toxoplasma gondii. Cb labels filamentous structures within parasite cytosol an extensive network that connects parasites parasitophorous vacuole allows vesicles be exchanged between parasites. In absence actin, lack residual body inter-parasite connections grow asynchronous disorganized manner. Collectively, these data identify new intracellular phase lytic cycle provide robust imaging parasitic dynamics.