Cell motility in early emerging apicomplexans with emphasis on gregarines and protococcidia
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| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Apicomplexa represent one of the most successful and diverse group of unicellular parasites exhibiting unique adaptations to their life style. Their motile invasive zoites use a unique conserved form of actin-based gliding motility. Since cytoskeletal elements play an important role in various life processes of Apicomplexa, they represent a potential target for chemotherapeutic intervention. Our intent is to investigate whether the glideosome concept, proposed in Toxoplasma, could be applied also to basal apicomplexan lineages. We focus on deep-branching groups, especially gregarines and protococcidians, restricted to invertebrates. These parasites exhibit diverse modes of locomotion depending on their cell architecture and surrounding environment, e.g. slow peristalsis-like movements observed in urosporidians and protococcidia, gliding in eugregarines equipped with well-developed epicytic folds, and finally active bending, rolling or coiling known from marine archigregarines that probably evolved from hypertrophic zoite and thus retained subpellicular microtubules. Financial support provided by Czech Science Foundation No. P505/12/G112 (ECIP). |
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