The secreted kinase ROP18 defends Toxoplasma's border.
Summary of "The secreted kinase ROP18 defends Toxoplasma's border."
Toxoplasma gondii is a highly successful parasite capable of infecting virtually all warm-blooded animals by actively invading nucleated host cells and forming a modified compartment where it replicates within the cytosol. The parasite-containing vacuole provides a safe haven, even in professional phagocytes such as macrophages, which normally destroy foreign microbes. In an effort to eliminate the parasite, the host up-regulates a family of immunity-related p47 GTPases (IRGs), which are recruited to the parasite-containing vacuole, resulting in membrane rupture and digestion of the parasite. To avoid this fate, highly virulent strains of Toxoplasma coat the external surface of their vacuole with a secretory serine/threonine kinase, known as ROP18. At this host-pathogen interface, ROP18 phosphorylates and inactivates IRGs, thereby protecting the parasite from killing. These findings reveal a novel molecular mechanism by which the parasite disarms host innate immunity.
Affiliation
Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology
ISSN: 1521-1878
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21773979
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bies.201100054
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Map Kinase Kinase Kinase 5
A 150-kDa MAP kinase kinase kinase that may play a role in the induction of APOPTOSIS. It has specificity for MAP KINASE KINASE 3; MAP KINASE KINASE 4; and MAP KINASE KINASE 6.
Map Kinase Kinase Kinase 2
A 70-kDa MAP kinase kinase kinase with specificity for MAP KINASE KINASE 5. It is activated during the cellular response to GROWTH FACTORS, oxidative stress, and hyperosmotic conditions.
Map Kinase Kinase Kinase 1
A 195-kDa MAP kinase kinase kinase with broad specificity for MAP KINASE KINASES. It is found localized in the CYTOSKELETON and can activate a variety of MAP kinase-dependent pathways.
Proto-oncogene Proteins C-raf
A ubiquitously expressed raf kinase subclass that plays an important role in SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION. The c-raf Kinases are MAP kinase kinase kinases that have specificity for MAP KINASE KINASE 1 and MAP KINASE KINASE 2.
Proto-oncogene Proteins B-raf
A raf kinase subclass found at high levels in neuronal tissue. The B-raf Kinases are MAP kinase kinase kinases that have specificity for MAP KINASE KINASE 1 and MAP KINASE KINASE 2.
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