1. Research progress of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like signaling in Toxoplasma gondii.
- Author
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Zhou QX, Tian SY, Liu XN, Xiang SP, Lin XJ, Tan F, and Mou YN
- Subjects
- Humans, Animals, Protozoan Proteins metabolism, Ubiquitination, Protein Processing, Post-Translational, Ubiquitins metabolism, Life Cycle Stages, Toxoplasma metabolism, Toxoplasma physiology, Toxoplasma drug effects, Ubiquitin metabolism, Signal Transduction, Toxoplasmosis parasitology, Toxoplasmosis drug therapy, Toxoplasmosis metabolism
- Abstract
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), is prevalent worldwide. The fact should be emphasized that a considerable proportion of individuals infected with T. gondii may remain asymptomatic; nevertheless, the condition can have severe implications for pregnant women or immunocompromised individuals. The current treatment of toxoplasmosis primarily relies on medication; however, traditional anti-toxoplasmosis drugs exhibit significant limitations in terms of efficacy, side effects, and drug resistance. The life cycles of T. gondii are characterized by distinct stages and its body morphology goes through dynamic alterations during the growth cycle that are intricately governed by a wide array of post-translational modifications (PTMs). Ubiquitin (Ub) signaling and ubiquitin-like (Ubl) signaling are two crucial post-translational modification pathways within cells, regulating protein function, localization, stability, or interactions by attaching Ub or ubiquitin-like proteins (Ubls) to target proteins. While these signaling mechanisms share some functional similarities, they have distinct regulatory mechanisms and effects. T. gondii possesses both Ub and Ubls and plays a significant role in regulating the parasite's life cycle and maintaining its morphology through PTMs of substrate proteins. Investigating the role and mechanism of protein ubiquitination in T. gondii will provide valuable insights for preventing and treating toxoplasmosis. This review explores the distinctive characteristics of Ub and Ubl signaling in T. gondii, with the aim of inspiring research ideas for the identification of safer and more effective drug targets against toxoplasmosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author is an Editorial Board Member/Editor-in-Chief/Associate Editor/Guest Editor for [Journal name] and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:, (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)
- Published
- 2024
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