'Mind-control' parasite Toxoplasma hides from the immune system with 2 key genes

 Originally published by Kamal Naha

A new study could help scientists find a cure to lifelong infections caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii.  (Image credit: KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)
 

The parasite Toxoplasma gondii hides in up to half of humans (opens in new tab), although it rarely causes symptoms. But when it infects mice, the single-cell organism can exert a kind of "mind control" to change the rodents' behavior and help itself spread. 

Now, researchers report being one step closer to curing T. gondii infections in humans, which can be lifelong due to the parasite's ability to morph into a dormant, defensive state. Two transcription factors — proteins that switch genes "on" and "off" — lie at the root of this metamorphosis, and the discovery opens avenues to block the process.

Often dubbed the "mind-control parasite," T. gondii takes over the minds (opens in new tab) of infected mice and steers them towards cats to become their next meal. This enables the parasites to jump into our feline friends, the only known hosts (opens in new tab) in which they can reproduce sexually. 

Read more

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Neuromorphic camera and machine learning aid nanoscopic imaging

Image
Neuromorphic camera and machine learning aid nanoscopic imaging by Indian Institute of Science Transformation of cumulative probability density of ON and OFF processes allows localisation below the limit of classical single particle detection. Credit: Mangalwedhekar et al In a new study, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) show how a brain-inspired image sensor can go beyond the diffraction limit of light to detect miniscule objects such as cellular components or nanoparticles invisible to current microscopes. Their novel technique, which combines optical microscopy with a neuromorphic camera and machine learning algorithms, presents a major step forward in pinpointing objects smaller than 50 nanometers in size. The results are published in Nature Nanotechnology. Original article  
Read more

Rare lung immune cells act as peacekeepers against deadly COVID-19 inflammation

Image
O riginally published by NYU Langone Health on April 25, 2025 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domai n A rare cell type in the lungs is essential to survival from the COVID-19 virus , a new study shows. Experiments in mice infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus revealed that the immune cell class in question, called nerve and airway-associated interstitial macrophages , or NAMs , may keep the human immune system's initial counterattack on the virus ( lung inflammation ) from spiraling out of control to endanger patients. Macrophages are known to be the first responders to infection , as large immune cells capable of devouring invading viruses and the cells they infect . Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health , the study shifts the focus for treating the disease away from strengthening the immune system attack on the virus and toward better restraint of the immune response , what researchers call " disease tolerance ." Read more  
Read more

Discovery of chemical means to reverse aging and restore cellular function

Image
Originally published by Impact Journals LLC on July 13, 2023   Reprogramming small molecule cocktails restore NCC alterations in senescent cells. (A) Chemical structures of small molecules of basal cocktails used to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from mouse (left) or human (right) somatic cells. (B) Correlation heatmaps showing eGFP and mCherry colocalization in human senescent fibroblasts demonstrate the effects of 80 different combinations of small molecules (n=2). (C, D) Validation of six selected cocktails through independent experiments, showing colocalization (C) and representative images (D) of eGFP and mCherry signals. Scale bar, 50 μm. Data are mean ± SD. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ****p < 0.0001. One-way ANOVA-Bonferroni. Credit: Aging (2023). DOI: 10.18632/aging.204896 In a groundbreaking study, researchers have unlocked a new frontier in the fight against aging and age -related diseases . The study, conducted by a team of scientists at Harvard M...
Read more