ArticleNature microbiology2020
A MORC-driven transcriptional switch controls Toxoplasma developmental trajectories and sexual commitment.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 79 papers.
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Who cites it
79 citing papers in PubMed, 136 citations in OpenAlex.
- Divergent SAGA complexes shape the Toxoplasma transcriptome for lytic cycle progression and host interaction.Nature communications · 2026Article
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- Two distinct SWI/SNF complexes direct chromatin-linked transcriptional programs in Toxoplasma.Nature communications · 2026Article
- A single-cell atlas of Toxoplasma sexual development in the feline intestinal tract.Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- A single-cell atlas ofbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Protocol to enhance pre-sexual and sexual differentiation of Toxoplasma gondii using retinal cells and intestinal organoid-derived monolayers.STAR protocols · 2026Article
- Precise gene regulation through transcriptional repression is essential for Plasmodium berghei asexual blood stage development.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Toxoplasma gondii chromatin remodeler SWI/SNF controls parasite division and gene expression.Nature communications · 2025Article
- The Plasmodium berghei merozoite protein PbGAC is critically involved in erythrocyte binding during invasion.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- AP2X-1 is a negative regulator ofmBio · 2025Article
- Deciphering cell cycle organization ofmBio · 2025Article
- Review
- High-resolution map of the Plasmodium falciparum genome reveals MORC/ApiAP2-mediated links between distant, functionally related genes.Nature microbiology · 2025Article
- Regulation of the developmental programs in Toxoplasma by a novel SNF2L-containing chromatin remodeling complex.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Regulation of MORC-1 is key to the CSR-1-mediated germline gene licensing mechanism inScience advances · 2025Article
- An ISWI-related chromatin remodeller regulates stage-specific gene expression in Toxoplasma gondii.Nature microbiology · 2025Article
- Molecular mechanisms of surface antigen suppression by ApiAP2 and its implications for vaccine development.Veterinary research · 2025Article
- A Novel Nuclear Protein Complex Controlling the Expression of Developmentally Regulated Genes in Toxoplasma Gondii.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- Proteome changes duringFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
19 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii has a complex life cycle that is typified by asexual development that takes place in vertebrates, and sexual reproduction, which occurs exclusively in felids and is therefore less studied. The developmental transitions rely on changes in the patterns of gene expression, and recent studies have assigned roles for chromatin shapers, including histone modifications, in establishing specific epigenetic programs for each given stage. Here, we identified the T. gondii microrchidia (MORC) protein as an upstream transcriptional repressor of sexual commitment. MORC, in a complex with Apetala 2 (AP2) transcription factors, was shown to recruit the histone deacetylase HDAC3, thereby impeding the accessibility of chromatin at the genes that are exclusively expressed during sexual stages. We found that MORC-depleted cells underwent marked transcriptional changes, resulting in the expression of a specific repertoire of genes, and revealing a shift from asexual proliferation to sexual differentiation. MORC acts as a master regulator that directs the hierarchical expression of secondary AP2 transcription factors, and these transcription factors potentially contribute to the unidirectionality of the life cycle. Thus, MORC plays a cardinal role in the T. gondii life cycle, and its conditional depletion offers a method to study the sexual development of the parasite in vitro, and is proposed as an alternative to the requirement of T. gondii infections in cats.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.