Dataset Information

Replication and distribution of Toxoplasma gondii in the small intestine after oral infection with tissue cysts.

ABSTRACT: Natural infection by Toxoplasma gondii occurs via oral ingestion of tissue cysts that rupture in the small intestine, releasing zoites that infect locally before disseminating throughout the host. The studies presented here used fluorescent parasites combined with flow cytometry and multiphoton microscopy techniques to understand the events associated with parasite replication in the mucosa. At 3 days postinfection with tissue cysts, parasites were localized in small foci and flow cytometry revealed parasites present in macrophages, neutrophils, and monocytes in the lamina propria. By day 6 postinfection, there were large foci of replicating parasites; however, foci unexpectedly varied in the number of villi involved and were associated with the presence of viable tachyzoites within the intestinal lumen. Consistent with the flow cytometry data, neutrophils and monocytes in the lamina propria were preferentially associated with parasite plaques. In contrast, dendritic cells comprised a small fraction of the infected immune cell population and were localized at the periphery of parasite plaques. Together, these findings reveal the formation of localized sites of parasite replication and inflammation early during infection and suggest that sustained replication of T. gondii in the gut may be a function of pathogen luminal spread.

SUBMITTER: Gregg B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3647985 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Replication and distribution of Toxoplasma gondii in the small intestine after oral infection with tissue cysts.

Gregg Beth B Taylor Betsy C BC John Beena B Tait-Wojno Elia D ED Girgis Natasha M NM Miller Natalie N Wagage Sagie S Roos David S DS Hunter Christopher A CA

Infection and immunity 20130304 5

Natural infection by Toxoplasma gondii occurs via oral ingestion of tissue cysts that rupture in the small intestine, releasing zoites that infect locally before disseminating throughout the host. The studies presented here used fluorescent parasites combined with flow cytometry and multiphoton microscopy techniques to understand the events associated with parasite replication in the mucosa. At 3 days postinfection with tissue cysts, parasites were localized in small foci and flow cytometry reve ...[more]

PMID: 23460516

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Project description:Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is responsible for severe human and livestock diseases, huge economic losses, and adversely affects the health of the public and the development of animal husbandry. Glycosylation is a common posttranslational modification of proteins in eukaryotes, and N-glycosylation is closely related to the biological functions of proteins. However, glycosylation alterations in the feline small intestine following T. gondii infection have not been reported. In this study, the experimental group was intragastrically challenged with 600 brain cysts of the Prugniuad (Pru) strain that were collected from infected mice. The cats' intestinal epithelial tissues were harvested at 10 days post-infection and then sent for protein glycosylation analysis. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze the glycosylation alterations in the small intestine of cats infected with T. gondii. The results of the present study showed that 56 glycosylated peptides were upregulated and 37 glycosylated peptides were downregulated in the feline small intestine infected by T. gondii. Additionally, we also identified eight N-glycosylated proteins of T. gondii including eight N-glycopeptides and eight N-glycosylation sites. The protein A0A086JND6_TOXGO (eEF2) and its corresponding peptide sequence were identified in T. gondii infection. Some special GO terms (i.e., cellular process and metabolic process, cell and cell part, and catalytic activity) were significantly enriched, and the Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COG) function prediction results showed that posttranslational modification, protein turnover, and chaperones (11%) had the highest enrichment for T. gondii. Interestingly, eEF2, a protein of T. gondii, is also involved in the significantly enriched T. gondii MAPK pathway. The host proteins ICAM-1 and PPT1 and the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway may play an important role in the glycosylation of Toxoplasma-infected hosts. This is the first report showing that T. gondii oocysts can undergo N-glycosylation in the definitive host and that eEF2 is involved, which may provide a new target for T. gondii detection to prevent the spread of T. gondii oocysts in the future.

Dataset Information

Replication and distribution of Toxoplasma gondii in the small intestine after oral infection with tissue cysts.

Publications

Replication and distribution of Toxoplasma gondii in the small intestine after oral infection with tissue cysts.

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