Emi Hashizaki (Suita / JP), Yuta Tachibana (Suita / JP), Miwa Sasai (Suita / JP), Professor Masahiro Yamamoto (Suita / JP)
Toxoplasma gondii forms a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) upon invading a cell. The host adopts a cell-autonomous response driven by interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), in which interferon-inducible proteins lead to parasite growth inhibition and clearance within the vacuole. Highly virulent strains of T. gondii are known to evade this anti-T. gondii IFN-γ-dependent host defense; however, the molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. Through in vivo CRISPR/Cas9 screening, we identified candidate genes associated with T. gondii virulence and resistance to the IFN-γ-dependent host defense. Among these candidates, we selected genes encoding non-secreted proteins linked to fundamental cellular processes; apart from rhoptry and dense granule proteins, to assess their influence on virulence. Notably, parasites lacking the deubiquitinase txDUB1 or DNA repair protein 1(txDRP1) exhibited significantly lower virulence than wild-type parasites infecting in wild-type mice, while being comparable to wild-type parasites infecting in mice lacking the IFN-γ receptor. Collectively, these data suggest that txDUB1 and txDRP1 are important for resistance to IFN-γ-dependent anti-T. gondii host defense. We aim to further explore their molecular functions in detail.
We use cookies on our website. Cookies are small (text) files that are created and stored on your device (e.g., smartphone, notebook, tablet, PC). Some of these cookies are technically necessary to operate the website, other cookies are used to extend the functionality of the website or for marketing purposes. Apart from the technically necessary cookies, you are free to allow or not allow cookies when visiting our website.