Investigation of Toxoplasma gondii Host Interactions Utilizing Novel Brain Cell Line
Conference Year
January 2023
Abstract
Up to one third of the human population is infected with the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. When T. gondii enters a host, it expands as the acute stage tachyzoite then transitions to the chronic stage bradyzoite in the brain. Existing tissue culture models use stress induced fibroblasts to simulate the bradyzoite. This work utilizes a brain cell that can induce the transition without stress. RNA sequencing on host and parasite cells shows dynamic changes between the current model and this brain cell model. Future work will investigate how the bradyzoite is able to maintain dormancy and gain nutrients from the host.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Bruno Martorelli Di Genova
Status
Graduate
Student College
Larner College of Medicine
Program/Major
Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Sciences
Primary Research Category
Life Sciences
Investigation of Toxoplasma gondii Host Interactions Utilizing Novel Brain Cell Line
Up to one third of the human population is infected with the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. When T. gondii enters a host, it expands as the acute stage tachyzoite then transitions to the chronic stage bradyzoite in the brain. Existing tissue culture models use stress induced fibroblasts to simulate the bradyzoite. This work utilizes a brain cell that can induce the transition without stress. RNA sequencing on host and parasite cells shows dynamic changes between the current model and this brain cell model. Future work will investigate how the bradyzoite is able to maintain dormancy and gain nutrients from the host.