Sebastian Lourido (Whitehead Inst. & MIT) 1:Toxoplasma gondii: a model apicomplexan

Sebastian Lourido explains why Toxoplasma gondii is an excellent system to study Apicomplexa, the phylum that includes the parasites that cause toxoplasmosis, malaria, and cryptosporidiosis. Talk Overview: Apicomplexa are evolutionarily distinct eukaryotes that play an important role in human disease worldwide. So how do scientists study their unique biology? Dr. Sebastian Lourido explains that his lab uses Toxoplasma gondii as a model to study the phylum Apicomplexa. In part one of his talk, he explains the complex life cycle of T. gondii and he describes the unique organelles found in apicomplexa and used to facilitate invasion, survival and replication inside host cells. He highlights research from his lab demonstrating the importance of calcium signaling for T. gondii invasion.