Open AccessThe T oxoplasma gondii calcium‐dependent protein kinase 7 is involved in early steps of parasite division and is crucial for parasite survival
Author(s) -
MorlonGuyot Juliette,
Berry Laurence,
Chen ChunTi,
Gubbels MarcJan,
Lebrun Maryse,
Daher Wassim
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
cellular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.542
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1462-5822
pISSN - 1462-5814
DOI - 10.1111/cmi.12186
Subject(s) - biology , microneme , toxoplasma gondii , microbiology and biotechnology , centrosome , apicomplexa , cell division , rhoptry , intracellular parasite , parasite hosting , intracellular , genetics , cell cycle , cell , immunology , plasmodium falciparum , antibody , malaria , world wide web , computer science
Summary A picomplexan parasites express various calcium‐dependent protein kinases ( CDPKs ), and some of them play essential roles in invasion and egress. Five of the six CDPKs conserved in most A picomplexa have been studied at the molecular and cellular levels in Plasmodium species and/or in T oxoplasma gondii parasites, but the function of CDPK 7 was so far uncharacterized. In T . gondii , during intracellular replication, two parasites are formed within a mother cell through a unique process called endodyogeny. Here we demonstrate that the knock‐down of CDPK 7 protein in T . gondii results in pronounced defects in parasite division and a major growth deficiency, while it is dispensable for motility, egress and microneme exocytosis. In cdpk7‐depleted parasites, the overall DNA content was not impaired, but the polarity of daughter cells budding and the fate of several subcellular structures or proteins involved in cell division were affected, such as the centrosomes and the kinetochore. Overall, our data suggest that CDPK 7 is crucial for proper maintenance of centrosome integrity required for the initiation of endodyogeny. Our findings provide a first insight into the probable role of calcium‐dependent signalling in parasite multiplication, in addition to its more widely explored role in invasion and egress.