Publication of a new scientific article

The most recent work from the Gras laboratory has been published in PLOS Biology. In this study, they investigated the dynamics of the plasma membrane of Toxoplasma gondii during parasite replication. Using microscopy, they discovered that the parasite forms reserves of plasma membrane, organized in a structure termed the plasma membrane reservoir, prior to division. In parallel, they observed that plasma membrane endocytosis vesicles trafficking depends on Rab5b. While Rab5b depletion had little impact on the overall parasite life cycle, it disrupted the recycling of the maternal plasma membrane, ultimately leading to its degradation.

These findings highlight a major difference between T. gondii and Plasmodium falciparum regarding uptake at the micropore/cytostome, as Pf-Rab5b is essential for the malaria parasite. The complete article can be found here.

This publication was also featured in the LMU News here.