弓形虫致密颗粒蛋白的生物学功能及免疫原性研究的新进展

刚地弓形虫(Toxoplasma gondii)可引起严重的人兽共患弓形虫病,给全世界经济造成巨大的损失,给公共卫生安全带来巨大的隐患。致密颗粒(dense granule)分泌的致密颗粒蛋白(dense granule proteins, GRAs)参与调节纳虫泡(parasitophorous vacuole, PV)及纳虫泡膜(parasitophorous vacuole membrane, PVM) 的形成并能维持其结构稳定性,部分GRAs可参与宿主细胞的转录。近几年来,不断发现了多种新的GRA蛋白家族新成员,并随着对该家族成员研究的逐步深入,发现GRAs是研制抗弓形虫疫苗的候选分子之一。本文综述了弓形虫致密颗粒蛋白的生物学功能和免疫原性研究的新进展,旨在为研究弓形虫致病机理和研发新的抗弓形虫疫苗提供思路。

New advances on studies of biological functions and immunogenicity of Toxoplasma gondii dense granule proteins

Toxoplasma gondii can cause zoonotic toxoplasmosis, and is a serious threat to public health. Dense granule is one of the three major secretory organelles in T. gondii cytoplasm, which can maintain and adjust the functions of parasitophorous vacuole (PV) and parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). Some of the dense granule proteins (GRAs) can regulate the host genome expression. In recent years, more new GRA proteins have been identified and many studies have focused on potentially important anti-T. gondii vaccine candidate molecules. In this review, we summarize new advances and perspectives in studies of biological functions and immunogenicity of T. gondii GRAs in recent years, which would provide useful information for further studies of pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis and development of novel vaccines against T. gondii infection.