Microsporidia are emerging human and veterinary pathogens that cause a wide range of disease syndromes. The unique structure of the microsporidia is the polar tube, which is used to infect the host cell. The investigators have characterized the polar tube proteins (PTP's) and have identified putative polar tube associated proteins (PTAP's) of several microsporidian species and propose to further characterize and localize these proteins in additional species of microsporidia.
The specific aims are to, 1) identify and analyze conserved structural motifs of PTP's to characterize their function, 2) identify and characterize PTAP's that may function in polar tube formation and function, 3) localize the PTP's and PTAP's during development (3a) and eversion (3b) of the polar tube, and 4) characterize the mechanism of polar tube assembly using recombinant proteins in vitro. It is anticipated that the results of these studies will further studies to identify drug targets for interfering with polar tube development and/or function in future studies.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01AI031788-08
Application #
6020246
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-AARR-4 (02))
Program Officer
Laughon, Barbara E
Project Start
1992-04-01
Project End
2003-06-30
Budget Start
1999-07-01
Budget End
2000-06-30
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Department
Pathology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
009095365
City
Bronx
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10461
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Pombert, Jean-François; Selman, Mohammed; Burki, Fabien et al. (2012) Gain and loss of multiple functionally related, horizontally transferred genes in the reduced genomes of two microsporidian parasites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109:12638-43
Zencheck, Wendy D; Xiao, Hui; Weiss, Louis M (2012) Lysine post-translational modifications and the cytoskeleton. Essays Biochem 52:135-45

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