Environmental sensing and regulation of motility in Toxoplasma

Toxoplasma and other apicomplexan parasites undergo a unique form of cellular locomotion referred to as gliding motility. Gliding motility is crucial for parasite survival as it powers tissue dissemination, host cell invasion and egress. Distinct environmental cues lead to activation of gliding motility and have become a prominent focus of recent investigation. Progress has been made toward understanding what environmental cues are sensed and how these signals are transduced in order to regulate the machinery and cellular events powering gliding motility. In this review, we will discuss new findings and integrate these into our current understanding to propose a model of how environmental sensing is achieved to regulate gliding motility in Toxoplasma. Collectively, these findings also have implications for the understanding of gliding motility across Apicomplexa more broadly.

Automated summary

Toxoplasma and other apicomplexan parasites rely on a unique form of cellular locomotion called gliding motility. Understanding how environmental cues activate gliding motility and regulate the machinery involved in this process is crucial for parasite survival and dissemination. Research progress in this area not only sheds light on Toxoplasma, but also has broader implications for the understanding of gliding motility in other Apicomplexa parasites.