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+--- Thread: Research How the cat parasite that alters human behavior eludes drug treatment (/thread-16980.html)
How the cat parasite that alters human behavior eludes drug treatment - C C - Dec 10, 2024
Toxoplasma gondii parasite uses unconventional method to make proteins for evasion of drug treatment
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1067643
INTRO: A study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers sheds new light on how Toxoplasma gondii parasites make the proteins they need to enter a dormant stage that allows them to escape drug treatment. It was recently published with special distinction in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that people catch from cat feces, unwashed produce or undercooked meat. The parasite has infected up to one-third of the world's population, and after causing mild illness, it persists by entering a dormant phase housed in cysts throughout the body, including the brain.
Toxoplasma cysts have been linked to behavior changes and neurological disorders like schizophrenia. They can also reactivate when the immune system is weakened, causing life-threatening organ damage. While drugs are available to put toxoplasmosis into remission, there is no way to clear the infection. A better understanding of how the parasite develops into cysts would help scientists find a cure.
Through years of collaborative work, IU School of Medicine Showalter Professors Bill Sullivan, PhD, and Ronald C. Wek, PhD, have shown that Toxoplasma forms cysts by altering which proteins are made. Proteins govern the fate of cells and are encoded by mRNAs.
"But mRNAs can be present in cells without being made into protein," Sullivan said. "We've shown that Toxoplasma switches which mRNAs are made into protein when converting into cysts." (MORE - details, no ads)