Alveolar proteins stabilize cortical microtubules in Toxoplasma gondii
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Author(s)
Gow, Matthew
Meissner, Markus
Harding, Clare R.
Kang, Joon Ho
Shortt, Emily
Manalis, Scott R
Lourido, Sebastian
Date Issued
January 2019
Journal
Nature Communications
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Citation
Harding, Clare R., Matthew Gow, Joon Ho Kang, Emily Shortt, Scott R. Manalis, Markus Meissner, and Sebastian Lourido. “Alveolar Proteins Stabilize Cortical Microtubules in Toxoplasma Gondii.” Nature Communications 10, no. 1 (January 23, 2019).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Single-celled protists use elaborate cytoskeletal structures, including arrays of microtubules at the cell periphery, to maintain polarity and rigidity. The obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii has unusually stable cortical microtubules beneath the alveoli, a network of flattened membrane vesicles that subtends the plasmalemma. However, anchoring of microtubules along alveolar membranes is not understood. Here, we show that GAPM1a, an integral membrane protein of the alveoli, plays a role in maintaining microtubule stability. Degradation of GAPM1a causes cortical microtubule disorganisation and subsequent depolymerisation. These changes in the cytoskeleton lead to parasites becoming shorter and rounder, which is accompanied by a decrease in cellular volume. Extended GAPM1a depletion leads to severe defects in division, reminiscent of the effect of disrupting other alveolar proteins. We suggest that GAPM proteins link the cortical microtubules to the alveoli and are required to maintain the shape and rigidity of apicomplexan zoites.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08318-7
