Cell Biology and Biochemical Parasitology Laboratory
Head
- María Martha Corvi, PhD - Independent Researcher CONICET. Adjunct Professor UNSAM mcorvi@intech.gov.ar
Members
- Ayelén Aparicio Arias - Doctoral fellow ANPCyT aaparicio@intech.gov.ar
- Lucas Benvenuto- Student UNSAM lebenvenuto@estudiantes.unsam.
edu.ar
Support Staff
- Agustina Ganuza Technician CIC agusganuza@intech.gov.ar
Introduction
Protein acylation refers to the modification of proteins, in general, by the fatty acids myristate and palmitate. These modifications play key regulatory roles in several cellular processes such as membrane targeting, apoptosis, protein-protein interaction, stability, protein secretion and finally cell proliferation. The development in recent years of new methodologies has allowed determining that acylated proteins are very abundant and at the same time are understudied.
Toxoplasma gondii is a member of the Apicomplexa phylum, which is composed of protozoan parasites. T. gondii is an opportunistic pathogen causing the disease known as Toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis affects around one third of the world population with high mortality rates. Unfortunately, an effective vaccine has not been developed yet and the chemo-therapeutic compounds are not well tolerated, have limited efficacy and require prolonged treatment. As such, it is essential to understand in detail the biology of this parasite in order to develop new therapeutic targets.
