Advancements in Cat-Restricted Toxoplasma Pre-Sexual Stages Production
Researchers have discovered that the depletion of AP2XI-2 and AP2XII-1, two transcription factors associated with the chromatin modifiers MORC and HDAC3, leads to the induction of merozoite-specific gene expression in Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. This finding sheds light on the sexual reproduction of Toxoplasma, which is confined to the guts of felids. The study also revealed changes in the expression of microneme, rhoptry, and dense granule proteins, as well as surface proteins, during the transition from tachyzoites to merozoites. In vitro-produced merozoites were found to be deficient in essential proteins necessary for tachyzoite functions and exhibited reduced infectivity.