Cell biology

Malaria

Ecology

Biology

Apicomplexa

Signal transduction

Obligate

Biochemistry

Secretion

Plasmodium falciparum

Organelle

Exocytosis

Immunology

Membrane

Effector

Phosphatidic acid

Phospholipid

Calcium signaling

Antibody

Microneme

Toxoplasma gondii

PLoS Pathogens

To elicit effective invasion and egress from infected cells, obligate intracellular parasites of the phylum Apicomplexa rely on the timely and spatially controlled exocytosis of specialized secretory organelles termed the micronemes. The effector molecules and signaling events underpinning this process are intricate; however, recent advances within the field of Toxoplasma gondii research have facilitated a broader understanding as well as a more integrated view of this complex cascade of events and have unraveled the importance of phosphatidic acid (PA) as a lipid mediator at multiple steps in this process.

The triumvirate of signaling molecules controlling Toxoplasma microneme exocytosis: Cyclic GMP, calcium, and phosphatidic acid