Contact sites between host organelles and pathogens: boon or bane?

Abstract

A microbe and its host are in constant communication. An emerging platform for direct communication is the membrane contact sites that form between several pathogens and host organelles. Here, we review our progress on the molecular mechanisms underlying contact sites between host mitochondria and the human parasite Toxoplasma gondii . We discuss open questions regarding their function during infection as well as those formed between the host endoplasmic reticulum and Toxoplasma .