Dense granules: Are they key organelles to help understand the parasitophorous vacuole of all Apicomplexa parasites? [International Journal for Parasitology 35 (2005) 829–849]☆

The Exoneme Helps Malaria Parasites to Break out of Blood Cells

“…Micronemes contain additional adhesins used to identify and attach to the target host cell and to link to actomyosin filaments for gliding and invasion (reviewed in Dowse and Soldati, 2004). Dense granules contain proteins that establish the lines of communication between the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and the host cell and beyond (reviewed in Mercier et al, 2005).…”

Toxoplasma: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

“…T. gondii acquires metabolites by transport or diffusion across the membrane of the parasitophorous vacuole, which functions as a molecular sieve, whereas some lipids might be obtained through intimate interactions with the host endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria (Roy et al, 2006). In addition, T. gondii remodels the membrane of the parasitophorous vacuole and induces the formation of a tubulo-vesicular network within it (Mercier et al, 2005). The function of this network is not known, but it is believed to favor host-parasite metabolite exchange, perhaps via direct contacts with the membrane of the parasitophorous vacuole.…”

“…Although HOST-like structures have not been reported previously, the existence of an elaborate system of thin tubules called the tubulovesicular network, which accumulates in the parasitophorous vacuole, has been extensively documented. This system is reminiscent of the membrane network observed in the cytoplasm of erythrocytes infected with another apicomplexan parasite, Plasmodium falciparum (although inverted in terms of topology) (Mercier et al, 2005). Although T. gondii HOST and the tubulo-vesicular network apparently differ in appearance, origin, content, and function, both have similar diameters (60-90 nm for the tubulo-vesicular network compared to 95-115 nm for coated HOST) and are labeled by antibod-ies against GRA proteins.…”