NIH R01 · 2024
Structural basis of the polar tube invasion machinery from microsporidia parasites
Project Summary/Abstract Microsporidia are unicellular, fungal parasites with a wide host-range, from insects to humans. They are emerging pathogens, classified as NIAID Category B opportunistic pathogens, and cause microsporidiosis in immunocompromised patients. To gain entry into a target cell, microsporidia employ a remarkably unique and specialized harpoon-like invasion machinery called the polar tube, which is conserved among microsporidial species. While initially coiled neatly within the spore of the parasite, infection of a new cell begins with the rapid extrusion of the polar tube from the spore on a fast timescale (< 2s), which anchors the spore to the host cell. After it has…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.