How Toxoplasma Switches Between its Fast and Slow-Growing Forms

Toxoplasma gondii causes a disease called toxoplasmosis, which can be spread to humans from infected cats. It's one of the most common human parasites. It has been a challenge for scientists to figure out how it switches from its fast-growing state that causes life-threatening infections to its chronic, slow-growing form - a process called differentiation. Now, Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a master regulator of differentiation - a gene called BFD1 that orchestrates the shift in life cycle. The discovery provides a new target for treating and preventing Toxoplasma infections.
Learn more about the new study at wi.mit.edu.
Music: A.A. Aalto (CC-BY-NC)