The transcriptome from asexual to sexual in vitro development of Cystoisospora suis (Apicomplexa: Coccidia)

Cruz‐Bustos, Teresa; Feix, Anna Sophia; Lyrakis, Manolis; Dolezal, Marlies; Ruttkowski, Bärbel; Joachim, Anja

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-09714-8

Cited by 7 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 123 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Interestingly, host cells were only required for asexual replication and until commitment of merozoites. Sexual development and fertilization readily took place in a cell-free culture system 108 , a finding supported by recent transcriptomic data 110 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Advances towards the complete in vitro life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii

Warschkau¹,

Seeber²

2023

Fac Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The full life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii cannot be recapitulated in vitro , and access to certain stages, such as mature tissue cysts (bradyzoites) and oocysts (sporozoites), traditionally requires animal experiments. This has greatly hindered the study of the biology of these morphologically and metabolically distinct stages, which are essential for the infection of humans and animals. However, several breakthrough advances have been made in recent years towards obtaining these life stages in vitro , such as the discovery of several molecular factors that induce differentiation and commitment to the sexual cycle, and different culture methods that use, for example, myotubes and intestinal organoids to obtain mature bradyzoites and different sexual stages of the parasite. We review these novel tools and approaches, highlight their limitations and challenges, and discuss what research questions can already be answered with these models. We finally identify future routes for recapitulating the entire sexual cycle in vitro .

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Advances towards the complete in vitro life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii

Warschkau¹,

Seeber²

2023

Fac Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Sequencing PKS gene clusters in other apicomplexans, as well as RNA-sequencing studies of these parasites during cystforming life stages, will be critical to enhance our understanding of their function. [132]…”

Section: Previous Work Towards Understanding the Biological Role Of P...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The conservation of Tg PKS2‐like clusters in other coccidian apicomplexan parasites indicates that they likely serve a similar function among these organisms. Sequencing PKS gene clusters in other apicomplexans, as well as RNA‐sequencing studies of these parasites during cyst‐forming life stages, will be critical to enhance our understanding of their function [132] …”

Section: Possible Role(s) Of Pks Bgcs In Apicomplexamentioning

confidence: 99%

Examination of Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis in Apicomplexa

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Natural product discovery has traditionally relied on the isolation of small molecules from producing species, but genome-sequencing technology and advances in molecular biology techniques have expanded efforts to a wider array of organisms. Protists represent an underexplored kingdom for specialized metabolite searches despite bioinformatic analysis that suggests they harbor distinct biologically active small molecules. Specifically, pathogenic apicomplexan parasites, responsible for billions of global infections, have been found to possess multiple biosynthetic gene clusters, which hints at their capacity to produce polyketide metabolites. Biochemical studies have revealed unique features of apicomplexan polyketide synthases, but to date, the identity and function of the polyketides synthesized by these megaenzymes remains unknown. Herein, we discuss the potential for specialized metabolite production in protists and the possible evolution of polyketide biosynthetic gene clusters in apicomplexan parasites. We then focus on a polyketide synthase from the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii to discuss the unique domain architecture and properties of these proteins when compared to previously characterized systems, and further speculate on the possible functions for polyketides in these pathogenic parasites.

show abstract

“…The study and identification of sexual differentiation components of coccidia parasites could powerfully impact our ability to design transmission-blocking strategies. For example, vaccines incorporating antigens from sexual stages could reduce oocyst formation ( Cruz-Bustos et al., 2022 ). Genetic admixing can occur only if two genetically different strains coexist in the epithelium of the same feline.…”

Section: Toxoplasma Gondii Within the Intestinementioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Toxoplasma gondii´s Biology within the Intestinal Epithelium: intestinal-derived models to unravel sexual differentiation

Sena

Cancela

Bollati-Fogolín

et al. 2023

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A variety of intestinal-derived culture systems have been developed to mimic in vivo cell behavior and organization, incorporating different tissue and microenvironmental elements. Great insight into the biology of the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma gondii, has been attained by using diverse in vitro cellular models. Nonetheless, there are still processes key to its transmission and persistence which remain to be elucidated, such as the mechanisms underlying its systemic dissemination and sexual differentiation both of which occur at the intestinal level. Because this event occurs in a complex and specific cellular environment (the intestine upon ingestion of infective forms, and the feline intestine, respectively), traditional reductionist in vitro cellular models fail to recreate conditions resembling in vivo physiology. The development of new biomaterials and the advances in cell culture knowledge have opened the door to a next generation of more physiologically relevant cellular models. Among them, organoids have become a valuable tool for unmasking the underlying mechanism involved in T. gondii sexual differentiation. Murine-derived intestinal organoids mimicking the biochemistry of the feline intestine have allowed the generation of pre-sexual and sexual stages of T. gondii for the first time in vitro, opening a window of opportunity to tackling these stages by “felinizing” a wide variety of animal cell cultures. Here, we reviewed intestinal in vitro and ex vivo models and discussed their strengths and limitations in the context of a quest for faithful models to in vitro emulate the biology of the enteric stages of T. gondii.

show abstract

The transcriptome from asexual to sexual in vitro development of Cystoisospora suis (Apicomplexa: Coccidia)

Cited by 7 publications

References 123 publications

Advances towards the complete in vitro life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii

Advances towards the complete in vitro life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii

Examination of Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis in Apicomplexa

Exploring Toxoplasma gondii´s Biology within the Intestinal Epithelium: intestinal-derived models to unravel sexual differentiation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About