Toxoplasma gondii's ability to move is crucial for its pathogenesis. Our recent research has discovered that the initiation of motility depends on the presence of the gliding initiation complex (GIC), which consists of key components such as the structural protein conoidal gliding protein (CGP), a putative lysine methyltransferase (PCKMT), and the actin nucleator Formin 1 (FRM1).The stability of the preconoidal rings (PCRs), the primary location for these three components, heavily relies on the presence of CGP. However, our data suggest that the initiation of motility and the recruitment of FRM1 to intact PCRs relies on the activity of PCKMT.

Proximity labelling assays have revealed a group of proteins that may interact within the GIC complex, and their proximity to other known proteins involved in initiating motility and transmitting force, such as the apical methyltransferase (AKMT) and the glideosome connector (GAC).

Our study aims to analyse the potential implication of these GIC interactors in motility, as well as the activity of the methylase domain of PCKMT and its role in actin dynamics and motility.