National Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health Safety, and College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; National Animal Protozoa Laboratory and School of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Jiong Yang
MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Economic Animals, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
National Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health Safety, and College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; National Animal Protozoa Laboratory and School of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Wen-Bin Zheng
College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Economic Animals, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
Jing Liu
National Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health Safety, and College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; National Animal Protozoa Laboratory and School of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Hui-Yong Ding
National Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health Safety, and College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; National Animal Protozoa Laboratory and School of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Rui-Bin Wu
National Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health Safety, and College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; National Animal Protozoa Laboratory and School of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Kevin M Brown
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, United States
Biomedical Research and Innovation Centre and Environmental Research and Innovation Centre, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
Zhao-Rong Lun
MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Economic Animals, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
National Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health Safety, and College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; National Animal Protozoa Laboratory and School of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
The apicoplast is a four-membrane plastid found in the apicomplexans, which harbors biosynthesis and organelle housekeeping activities in the matrix. However, the mechanism driving the flux of metabolites, in and out, remains unknown. Here, we used TurboID and genome engineering to identify apicoplast transporters in Toxoplasma gondii. Among the many novel transporters, we show that one pair of apicomplexan monocarboxylate transporters (AMTs) appears to have evolved from a putative host cell that engulfed a red alga. Protein depletion showed that AMT1 and AMT2 are critical for parasite growth. Metabolite analyses supported the notion that AMT1 and AMT2 are associated with biosynthesis of isoprenoids and fatty acids. However, stronger phenotypic defects were observed for AMT2, including in the inability to establish T. gondii parasite virulence in mice. This study clarifies, significantly, the mystery of apicoplast transporter composition and reveals the importance of the pair of AMTs in maintaining the apicoplast activity in apicomplexans.
