Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40050648›Full record

ArticleCommunications biology2025

Metabolic crosstalk between the mitochondrion and the nucleus is essential for Toxoplasma gondii infection.

Hongxi Zhang, Nuo Ji, Shuxin Su, Meng Zhao, Huiyu Du, Lakesh Kumar Sahoo, Yi Wu, Yaoyu Feng, Nishith Gupta, Lihua Xiao and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Live-attenuatedVirulence · 2026
    Article
  2. Virulence · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Hongxi Zhang *State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Nuo Ji *State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Shuxin Su *Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Meng ZhaoState Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Huiyu DuState Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Lakesh Kumar SahooIntracellular Parasite Education And Research Labs (iPEARL), Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani), Hyderabad, India.
Yi WuFrontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Yaoyu FengState Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8380-1246
Nishith GuptaIntracellular Parasite Education And Research Labs (iPEARL), Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani), Hyderabad, India. Gupta.Nishith@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1452-5126
Lihua XiaoState Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China. lxiao@scau.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8532-2727
Ningbo XiaState Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China. ningboxia@scau.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6090-7400

Funding

DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance IA/S/19/1/504263Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular pathogenic protist with a remarkable ability to infect a wide range of host cells, displays an equally exceptional design of its carbon metabolism. There are, however, critical gaps in our understanding of the metabolic network in T. gondii. We characterized the mito-nuclear metabolism and organelle coupling during its acute infection (lytic cycle). The major enzymes of the TCA cycle, i.e., citrate synthase (CS1), succinyl-CoA synthase alpha subunit (SCSα), succinate dehydrogenase (SDHA) and FAD malate dehydrogenase (MDH-FAD) located in the parasite mitochondrion support its asexual reproduction but are not needed for its survival. The SCSα and SDHA mutants are nearly avirulent in a mouse model, and they can protect the host against a lethal challenge infection. Genetic deletion of MDH-FAD dysregulated glucose-derived carbon flux, leading to a collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential. The parasite also harbors a cytosolic isoform of MDH and a nuclear malic enzyme (ME) contributing to malate oxidation; however, only the latter is essential for the lytic cycle. Expression of ME in the nucleus is crucial for the parasite development. Besides, conditional knockdown of ME impairs the histone acetylation and disrupts the expression of several genes in tachyzoites. Our work discloses novel network design features of T. gondii and highlights the therapeutic and vaccination potential of the parasite metabolism.

Indexed as

Cell NucleusMitochondriaToxoplasmaToxoplasmosisAnimalsCitric Acid CycleMalate DehydrogenaseMiceMalate Dehydrogenase

Identifiers

PMID40050648
PMCPMC11885449

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.