Biogenesis of the inner membrane complex is dependent on vesicular transport by the alveolate specific GTPase Rab11B

Agop-Nersesian, C., Egarter, S., Langsley, G., Foth, B.J., Ferguson, D.J. P., Meissner, M. and Sibley, L.D. (2010) Biogenesis of the inner membrane complex is dependent on vesicular transport by the alveolate specific GTPase Rab11B. PLoS Pathogens, 6(7), e1001029. (doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001029)

Abstract

Apicomplexan parasites belong to a recently recognised group of protozoa referred to as Alveolata. These protists contain membranous sacs (alveoli) beneath the plasma membrane, termed the Inner Membrane Complex (IMC) in the case of Apicomplexa. During parasite replication the IMC is formed de novo within the mother cell in a process described as internal budding. We hypothesized that an alveolate specific factor is involved in the specific transport of vesicles from the Golgi to the IMC and identified the small GTPase Rab11B as an alveolate specific Rab-GTPase that localises to the growing end of the IMC during replication of Toxoplasma gondii. Conditional interference with Rab11B function leads to a profound defect in IMC biogenesis, indicating that Rab11B is required for the transport of Golgi derived vesicles to the nascent IMC of the daughter cell. Curiously, a block in IMC biogenesis did not affect formation of sub-pellicular microtubules, indicating that IMC biogenesis and formation of sub-pellicular microtubules is not mechanistically linked. We propose a model where Rab11B specifically transports vesicles derived from the Golgi to the immature IMC of the growing daughter parasites.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Meissner, Professor Markus
• Authors: Agop-Nersesian, C., Egarter, S., Langsley, G., Foth, B.J., Ferguson, D.J. P., Meissner, M., and Sibley, L.D.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Journal Name: PLoS Pathogens
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• ISSN: 1553-7366
• ISSN (Online): 1553-7374
• Published Online: 29 July 2010
• Copyright Holders: © 2010 Agop-Nersesian et al
• First Published: First published in PLoS Pathogens 2010 6(7): e1001029
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher