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Low Voltage Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy Provides Structural Evidence For Actin-Sized Filaments In Toxoplasma Gondii
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2020
Extract
The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondiiis an obligate intracellular parasite that exhibits gliding and twisting motility during cell locomotion and host cell invasion. By using molecular and genetic approaches it has been determined that actin and myosin are localized beneath the parasite plasma membrane and produce the force for motility and active penetration during host cell invasion. However, structural evidence for actin fibers beneath the plasma membrane is still missing. Recently Chavez et al. demonstrated actin-like filaments in isolated cytoskeletal complexes. Our aproach has been to remove the cell membrane with 0.15% Triton X-100 in cytoskeleton preserving buffer, followed by imaging with low voltage field emission SEM. As seen in Fig. I, we could demonstrate the subpellicle actin network in parasites invading a host cell (arrow). Fig. 2 shows a similar subsurface network of actin filaments in a parasite gliding on glass.
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- Microbiology
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- Copyright © Microscopy Society of America