TY - JOUR
T1 - How apicomplexan parasites move in and out of cells
AU - Sibley, L. David
N1 - Funding Information:
I am grateful to current and past members of my laboratory and other colleagues for helpful comments, thank S Louirdo and WL Beatty for assistance with illustrations, and regret not being able to cite many sources because of space limitations. This work is supported by NIH grants AI073155 and AI034036.
PY - 2010/10
Y1 - 2010/10
N2 - Apicomplexan parasites utilize a unique form of 'gliding motility' to traverse across substrates, migrate through tissues, and invade into and finally egress from their vertebrate host cells. Parasite gliding relies on the treadmilling of surface adhesins linked to short actin filaments that are translocated rearward by stationary small myosin motors. New details reveal mechanistic insight into the coordinated release and processing of adhesins, the complexity of adhesin-substrate interactions, the regulation of the actin-myosin motor complex, and the formation of a novel junction at the host-parasite interface. These activities are carefully orchestrated to provide an efficient process for motility that is essential for parasite survival. The parasite-specific nature of many of these steps reveals several essential points that may be targeted for intervention.
AB - Apicomplexan parasites utilize a unique form of 'gliding motility' to traverse across substrates, migrate through tissues, and invade into and finally egress from their vertebrate host cells. Parasite gliding relies on the treadmilling of surface adhesins linked to short actin filaments that are translocated rearward by stationary small myosin motors. New details reveal mechanistic insight into the coordinated release and processing of adhesins, the complexity of adhesin-substrate interactions, the regulation of the actin-myosin motor complex, and the formation of a novel junction at the host-parasite interface. These activities are carefully orchestrated to provide an efficient process for motility that is essential for parasite survival. The parasite-specific nature of many of these steps reveals several essential points that may be targeted for intervention.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77957371578&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.copbio.2010.05.009
DO - 10.1016/j.copbio.2010.05.009
M3 - Review article
C2 - 20580218
AN - SCOPUS:77957371578
SN - 0958-1669
VL - 21
SP - 592
EP - 598
JO - Current Opinion in Biotechnology
JF - Current Opinion in Biotechnology
IS - 5
ER -