<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> effector GRA35 mediates neuronal damage <i>via</i> ER stress and mitochondria-associated apoptosis
strain leads to a reduced apoptotic response in brain neurons. Furthermore, we demonstrate that GRA35 interacts with RTN1-c, thereby promoting mitochondrial pathway-mediated apoptosis in neurons. Additionally, GRA35 can trigger host cell ER stress-associated apoptosis through the PERK signaling pathway. GRA35 serves as a crucial virulence factor in the pathogenesis of Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE), which offers potential new therapeutic target and theoretical insights for TE.
Authors
- Zhiang Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6417-8073)
- Shutong Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9456-6544)
- N. Dai
- Nan Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9420-6733)
- Fangmin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6949-204X)
- Yi-Xiang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4021-4228)
- Lijian Chen
- Ran An
- Ying Chen
Institutions
- Anhui Medical University (CN)
- First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Virulence
- Published
- 2026-04-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2026.2654261
- Primary Topic
- Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Anhui Medical University