7TNT

The tubulin-based conoid from detergent-extract Toxoplasma gondii cells

  • Classification: CELL INVASION
  • Organism(s): Toxoplasma gondii ME49
  • Mutation(s): No 

  • Deposited: 2022-01-21 Released: 2022-06-22 
  • Deposition Author(s): Sun, S.Y., Pintilie, G.D., Chen, M., Chiu, W.
  • Funding Organization(s): National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH/NIGMS), National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Mental Health (NIH/NIMH)

Experimental Data Snapshot

  • Method: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
  • Resolution: 9.30 Å
  • Aggregation State: FILAMENT 
  • Reconstruction Method: SUBTOMOGRAM AVERAGING 

wwPDB Validation   3D Report Full Report


This is version 1.0 of the entry. See complete history. 


Literature

Cryo-ET of Toxoplasma parasites gives subnanometer insight into tubulin-based structures.

Sun, S.Y., Segev-Zarko, L.A., Chen, M., Pintilie, G.D., Schmid, M.F., Ludtke, S.J., Boothroyd, J.C., Chiu, W.

(2022) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 119

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2111661119
  • Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
    7TNQ, 7TNS, 7TNT

  • PubMed Abstract: 

    • Tubulin is a conserved protein that polymerizes into different forms of filamentous structures in Toxoplasma gondii , an obligate intracellular parasite in the phylum Apicomplexa. Two key tubulin-containing cytoskeletal components are subpellicular microtubules (SPMTs) and conoid fibrils (CFs) ...

    Tubulin is a conserved protein that polymerizes into different forms of filamentous structures in Toxoplasma gondii , an obligate intracellular parasite in the phylum Apicomplexa. Two key tubulin-containing cytoskeletal components are subpellicular microtubules (SPMTs) and conoid fibrils (CFs). The SPMTs help maintain shape and gliding motility, while the CFs are implicated in invasion. Here, we use cryogenic electron tomography to determine the molecular structures of the SPMTs and CFs in vitrified intact and detergent-extracted parasites. Subvolume densities from detergent-extracted parasites yielded averaged density maps at subnanometer resolutions, and these were related back to their architecture in situ. An intralumenal spiral lines the interior of the 13-protofilament SPMTs, revealing a preferred orientation of these microtubules relative to the parasite's long axis. Each CF is composed of nine tubulin protofilaments that display a comma-shaped cross-section, plus additional associated components. Conoid protrusion, a crucial step in invasion, is associated with an altered pitch of each CF. The use of basic building blocks of protofilaments and different accessory proteins in one organism illustrates the versatility of tubulin to form two distinct types of assemblies, SPMTs and CFs.

    Organizational Affiliation: 

    Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA 94025.



Macromolecules
Find similar proteins by: 
(by identity cutoff)  |  3D Structure
Entity ID: 1
MoleculeChainsSequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
Tubulin alpha chain437Toxoplasma gondii ME49Mutation(s): 0 
UniProt
Find proteins for P10873 (Toxoplasma gondii)
Explore P10873 
Go to UniProtKB:  P10873
Entity Groups  
Sequence Clusters30% Identity50% Identity70% Identity90% Identity95% Identity100% Identity
UniProt GroupP10873
Protein Feature View
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  • Reference Sequence
Find similar proteins by: 
(by identity cutoff)  |  3D Structure
Entity ID: 2
MoleculeChainsSequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
Tubulin beta chain426Toxoplasma gondii ME49Mutation(s): 0 
Gene Names: TGME49_266960
UniProt
Find proteins for A0A125YWG5 (Toxoplasma gondii (strain ATCC 50611 / Me49))
Explore A0A125YWG5 
Go to UniProtKB:  A0A125YWG5
Entity Groups  
Sequence Clusters30% Identity50% Identity70% Identity90% Identity95% Identity100% Identity
UniProt GroupA0A125YWG5
Protein Feature View
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  • Reference Sequence
Experimental Data & Validation

Experimental Data

  • Method: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
  • Resolution: 9.30 Å
  • Aggregation State: FILAMENT 
  • Reconstruction Method: SUBTOMOGRAM AVERAGING 
EM Software:
TaskSoftware PackageVersion
RECONSTRUCTIONEMAN2

Structure Validation

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View more in-depth experimental data
Entry History & Funding Information

Deposition Data

Funding OrganizationLocationGrant Number
National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH/NIGMS)United StatesS10OD021600
National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH/NIGMS)United StatesP41GM103832
National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH/NIGMS)United StatesR01GM079429
National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH/NIGMS)United StatesP01GM121203
National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Mental Health (NIH/NIMH)United StatesR21MH125285-01A1

Revision History  (Full details and data files)

  • Version 1.0: 2022-06-22
    Type: Initial release