The Structural Analysis of Oocyst Walls of Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, and Eimeria with Mass Spectrometry and Microscopy

摘要

Ooocyst wall proteins of Toxoplasma and Eimeria include a glucan hydrolase which contains a novel glucan-binding domain at its N-terminus. Their oocyst walls also have Cys-rich and His-rich proteins belonging to classes which were first identified in Cryptosporidium (COWPs) as well as Tyr-rich proteins that can form dityrosines that are autofluorescent under UV irradiation. Our characterization of β-1,3-glucan and acid-fast lipids in oocyst walls could represent a major breakthrough in the understanding of how these parasites make their walls, which are essential for transmission of the parasite.