Essential Role of mGBP7 for Survival of Toxoplasma gondii Infection
Nora Silva Steffens, Cornelia Beuter-Gunia, Elisabeth Kravets, Artur Reich, Larissa Legewie, Klaus Pfeffer, Daniel Degrandi
Abstract
Guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) are induced by the inflammatory cytokine interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and have been shown to be important factors in the defense of the intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii . In previous studies, we showed that members of the mouse GBP family, such as mGBP2 and mGBP7, accumulate at the parasitophorous vacuole of T. gondii , which is the replicatory niche of the parasite. In this study, we show that mice deficient in mGBP7 succumb early after infection with T. gondii , showing a complete failure of resistance to the pathogen. On a molecular level, mGBP7 is found directly at the parasite, likely mediating its destruction.