Deciphering protein prenylation in endocytic trafficking in Toxoplasma gondii.

ABSTRACT

Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread intracellular protozoan pathogen infecting virtually all warm-blooded animals. This parasite acquires host-derived resources to support its replication inside a membrane-bound parasitophorous vacuole within infected host cells. Previous research has discovered that Toxoplasma actively endocytoses host proteins and transports them to a lysosome-equivalent structure for digestion. However, few molecular determinants required for trafficking of host-derived material within the parasite were known. A recent study (Q.-Q. Wang, M. Sun, T. Tang, D.-H. Lai, et al., mBio 14e01309-23, 2023, https//doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01309-23) identified a critical role for membrane anchoring of proteins via prenylation in the trafficking of endocytosed host proteins by Toxoplasma, including an essential Toxoplasma ortholog of Rab1B. The authors also found that TgRab1 is crucial for protein trafficking of the rhoptry secretory organelles, indicating a dual role in endocytic and exocytic protein trafficking. This study sets the stage for further dissecting endomembrane trafficking in Toxoplasma, along with potentially exploiting protein prenylation as a target for therapeutic development.