Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Objective Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that infects all warm-blooded animals，including humans.Currently，there is a lack of specific drugs for the treatment of toxoplasmosis，and traditional drug therapy faces issues such as significant toxic side effects and limited efficacy.Therefore，developing a safe and effective vaccine has become an important strategy for preventing and controlling the disease.Surface antigen-related sequence proteins（SRSs）of T. gondii play a crucial role in virulence，invasion and adhesion，and immune regulation of the parasite.Among them，SRS51 protein（TGME49_308840），as a member of the SRS family，has potential research value due to its unclear specific biological function.This study aims to explore the biological function and mechanism of action of Toxoplasma gondii SRS51 protein，providing a reference for the development of safe and effective T. gondii vaccines. Method With the Toxoplasma gondii type II Pru strain as the subject，CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and seamless cloning techniques were employed to construct a Tgsrs51 gene-deleted strain（PruΔsrs51）.The biological function of the Toxoplasma SRS51 protein was systematically evaluated through plaque assay，cell invasion and proliferation assay，escape assay，in vitro bradyzoite conversion assay，and mouse virulence assay. Result After the deletion of the Tgsrs51 gene，the plaque area and number of T. gondii significantly decreased（P<0.000 1）.The deletion of the Tgsrs51 gene caused a decrease in MIC2 protein expression.The invasion and proliferation abilities were significantly reduced（P<0.001）.The pathogenicity to mice also weakened（P<0.05），but it did not affect the escape ability and in vitro tachyzoite transformation of the parasite（P>0.05）. Conclusion SRS51 protein deletion significantly reduces acute virulence and chronic cyst formation.It can be considered as a candidate gene for a weakened T. gondii vaccine.
DOI: 10.3724/aauj.2026018
Authors: Shuting XIAO, Xincheng JIANG, Meng WANG, Xiangdong WU, Guyue LI, Xiaoqing CHEN
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7128493457
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