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Trx4, a novel thioredoxin protein, is important for Toxoplasma gondii fitness (2024)
Journal Article
Zhang, Z., Wang, M., Sun, L., Elsheikha, H. M., Lei, C., Wang, J., …Li, T. (2024). Trx4, a novel thioredoxin protein, is important for Toxoplasma gondii fitness. Parasites and Vectors, 17(1), Article 178. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06259-9

Background To successfully replicate within the host cell, Toxoplasma gondii employs several mechanisms to overcome the host cell defenses and mitigate the harmful effects of the free radicals resulting from its own metabolic processes using effector... Read More about Trx4, a novel thioredoxin protein, is important for Toxoplasma gondii fitness.

Global prevalence and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in wild birds: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2024)
Journal Article
Chen, C., Qin, S., Yang, X., Li, X., Cai, Y., Lei, C., …Cao, H. (2024). Global prevalence and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in wild birds: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 226, Article 106187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106187

A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to identify the global prevalence and factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in wild birds. Six bibliographic databases (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Chinese Journal... Read More about Global prevalence and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in wild birds: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Expression profiles of host miRNAs and circRNAs and ceRNA network during Toxoplasma gondii lytic cycle (2024)
Journal Article
Wang, S., Wang, X., He, J., Zheng, W., Zhu, X., Elsheikha, H. M., & Zhou, C. (2024). Expression profiles of host miRNAs and circRNAs and ceRNA network during Toxoplasma gondii lytic cycle. Parasitology Research, 123(2), Article 145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-024-08152-x

Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic protozoan parasite that is highly prevalent in the human population and can lead to adverse health consequences in immunocompromised patients and pregnant women. Noncoding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and cir... Read More about Expression profiles of host miRNAs and circRNAs and ceRNA network during Toxoplasma gondii lytic cycle.

An in silico and in vitro assessment of the neurotoxicity of mefloquine (2024)
Journal Article
El Sharazly, B. M., Ahmed, A., Elsheikha, H. M., & Carter, W. G. (2024). An in silico and in vitro assessment of the neurotoxicity of mefloquine. Biomedicines, 12(3), Article 505. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12030505

Mefloquine (MQ) is a quinoline-based anti-malarial drug used for chemoprophylaxis or as treatment in combination with artesunate. Although MQ has clear anti-Plasmodium properties, it can induce neurotoxicity and undesired neuropsychiatric side effect... Read More about An in silico and in vitro assessment of the neurotoxicity of mefloquine.

The transcription factor AP2XI-2 is a key negative regulator of Toxoplasma gondii merogony (2024)
Journal Article
Wang, J., Li, T., Zhang, N., Wang, M., Sun, L., Zhang, Z., …Zhu, X. (2024). The transcription factor AP2XI-2 is a key negative regulator of Toxoplasma gondii merogony. Nature Communications, 15(1), Article 793. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44967-z

Sexual development in Toxoplasma gondii is a multistep process that culminates in the production of oocysts, constituting approximately 50% of human infections. However, the molecular mechanisms governing sexual commitment in this parasite remain poo... Read More about The transcription factor AP2XI-2 is a key negative regulator of Toxoplasma gondii merogony.

Global prevalence of Plasmodium infection in wild birds: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2024)
Journal Article
Yan, W. L., Sun, H. T., Zhao, Y. C., Hou, X. W., Zhang, M., Zhao, Q., …Ni, H. B. (2024). Global prevalence of Plasmodium infection in wild birds: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Research in Veterinary Science, 168, Article 105136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105136

Avian malaria is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium infection transmitted to birds by mosquitoes. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the global prevalence of malaria and risk factors associated with infection in wild... Read More about Global prevalence of Plasmodium infection in wild birds: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The Toxoplasma protein phosphatase 6 catalytic subunit (TgPP6C) is essential for cell cycle progression and virulence (2023)
Journal Article
Liang, Q. L., Nie, L. B., Elsheikha, H. M., Li, T. T., Sun, L. X., Zhang, Z. W., …Wang, J. L. (2023). The Toxoplasma protein phosphatase 6 catalytic subunit (TgPP6C) is essential for cell cycle progression and virulence. PLoS Pathogens, 19(12), Article e1011831. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011831

Protein phosphatases are post-translational regulators of Toxoplasma gondii proliferation, tachyzoite-bradyzoite differentiation and pathogenesis. Here, we identify the putative protein phosphatase 6 (TgPP6) subunits of T. gondii and elucidate their... Read More about The Toxoplasma protein phosphatase 6 catalytic subunit (TgPP6C) is essential for cell cycle progression and virulence.

The splicing factor SR2 is an important virulence factor of Toxoplasma gondii (2023)
Journal Article
Wu, X., Nanzheng, X., Elsheikha, H. M., Li, T., Kou, Y., & Zhu, X. (2023). The splicing factor SR2 is an important virulence factor of Toxoplasma gondii. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14, Article 1302512. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1302512

Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are key factors with important roles in constitutive and alternative splicing (AS) of pre-mRNAs. However, the role of SR splicing factors in the pathogenicity of T. gondii remains largely unexplored. Here, we invest... Read More about The splicing factor SR2 is an important virulence factor of Toxoplasma gondii.

A newly characterized dense granule protein (GRA76) is important for the growth and virulence of Toxoplasma gondii (2023)
Journal Article
Zheng, X., Sun, L., Elsheikha, H. M., Li, T., Gao, J., Wu, X., …Wang, J. (2024). A newly characterized dense granule protein (GRA76) is important for the growth and virulence of Toxoplasma gondii. International Journal for Parasitology, 54(2), 109-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.09.001

Pathogenicity of the zoonotic pathogen Toxoplasma gondii largely depends on the secretion of effector proteins into the extracellular milieu and host cell cytosol, including the dense granule proteins (GRAs). The protein-encoding gene TGME49_299780 w... Read More about A newly characterized dense granule protein (GRA76) is important for the growth and virulence of Toxoplasma gondii.

Global prevalence and factors affecting the level of Cryptosporidium contamination in soil: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression (2023)
Journal Article
Zuo, M., Li, X., Xu, R., Sun, W., Elsheikha, H. M., & Cong, W. (2023). Global prevalence and factors affecting the level of Cryptosporidium contamination in soil: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Science of the Total Environment, 891, Article 164286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164286

Soil contamination with Cryptosporidium is a serious environmental and public health concern. In this systematic review and meta-analysis we estimated the global prevalence of Cryptosporidium contamination in soil and evaluated its association with c... Read More about Global prevalence and factors affecting the level of Cryptosporidium contamination in soil: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.

The antioxidant protein glutaredoxin 1 is essential for oxidative stress response and pathogenicity of Toxoplasma gondii (2023)
Journal Article
Li, T., Zhao, D., Liang, Q., Elsheikha, H. M., Wang, M., Sun, L., …Wang, J. (2023). The antioxidant protein glutaredoxin 1 is essential for oxidative stress response and pathogenicity of Toxoplasma gondii. The FASEB Journal, 37(6), Article e22932. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202201275r

Glutaredoxins (Grxs) are ubiquitous antioxidant proteins involved in many molecular processes to protect cells against oxidative damage. Here, we study the roles of Grxs in the pathogenicity of Toxoplasma gondii. We show that Grxs are localized in th... Read More about The antioxidant protein glutaredoxin 1 is essential for oxidative stress response and pathogenicity of Toxoplasma gondii.

Unravelling Strain-Specific Modifications of Toxoplasma gondii tRNA and sncRNA Using LC-MS/MS (2023)
Journal Article
Wang, W., Yang, Y., Guo, H., Li, M. H., Chen, X. Q., Wei, X. Y., …Zhang, X. X. (2023). Unravelling Strain-Specific Modifications of Toxoplasma gondii tRNA and sncRNA Using LC-MS/MS. Microbiology Spectrum, 11(3), Article e0356422. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03564-22

Many RNA modifications have been detected in rRNA, tRNA and small noncoding RNA (sncRNA) as well as in low-abundance RNA species such mRNA. Although RNA modifications play roles in many cellular and biological processes in various domains of life, kn... Read More about Unravelling Strain-Specific Modifications of Toxoplasma gondii tRNA and sncRNA Using LC-MS/MS.

Modulation of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the liver of Beagle dogs by Toxocara canis infection (2023)
Journal Article
Zou, Y., Zheng, W. B., Elsheikha, H. M., He, J. J., Lu, Y. X., Wang, S., …Zhu, X. Q. (2023). Modulation of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the liver of Beagle dogs by Toxocara canis infection. Parasites and Vectors, 16, Article 114. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-05738-9

Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) play crucial roles in regulating various physiological and pathological processes. However, the role of lncRNAs and mRNAs in mediating the liver response during Toxocara canis infec... Read More about Modulation of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the liver of Beagle dogs by Toxocara canis infection.

Functional Characterization of 15 Novel Dense Granule Proteins in Toxoplasma gondii Using the CRISPR-Cas9 System (2022)
Journal Article
Zheng, X. N., Wang, J. L., Elsheikha, H. M., Wang, M., Zhang, Z. W., Sun, L. X., …Li, T. T. (2023). Functional Characterization of 15 Novel Dense Granule Proteins in Toxoplasma gondii Using the CRISPR-Cas9 System. Microbiology Spectrum, 11(1), https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03078-22

The analysis of the subcellular localization and function of dense granule proteins (GRAs) is of central importance for the understanding of host-parasite interaction and pathogenesis of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Here, we identified 15 novel GRAs... Read More about Functional Characterization of 15 Novel Dense Granule Proteins in Toxoplasma gondii Using the CRISPR-Cas9 System.

The protein phosphatase 2A holoenzyme is a key regulator of starch metabolism and bradyzoite differentiation in Toxoplasma gondii (2022)
Journal Article
Wang, J., Li, T., Elsheikha, H. M., Liang, Q., Zhang, Z., Wang, M., …Zhu, X. (2022). The protein phosphatase 2A holoenzyme is a key regulator of starch metabolism and bradyzoite differentiation in Toxoplasma gondii. Nature Communications, 13(1), Article 7560. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35267-5

Phenotypic switching between tachyzoite and bradyzoite is the fundamental mechanism underpinning the pathogenicity and adaptability of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Although accumulation of cytoplasmic starch granules is a hallmark of the... Read More about The protein phosphatase 2A holoenzyme is a key regulator of starch metabolism and bradyzoite differentiation in Toxoplasma gondii.

Effect of deleting four Toxoplasma gondii calcium-binding EGF domain-containing proteins on parasite replication and virulence (2022)
Journal Article
Wang, X., Li, T., Elsheikha, H. M., Zheng, X., Zhao, D., Wang, J., …Zhu, X. (2023). Effect of deleting four Toxoplasma gondii calcium-binding EGF domain-containing proteins on parasite replication and virulence. Parasitology Research, 122, 441-450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07739-6

Several calcium-binding proteins including calcium-dependent protein kinases play important roles in several facets of the intracellular infection cycle of the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. However, the role of the calcium-bindin... Read More about Effect of deleting four Toxoplasma gondii calcium-binding EGF domain-containing proteins on parasite replication and virulence.

Camellia sinensis solvent extract, epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine confer trophocidal and cysticidal effects against Acanthamoeba castellanii (2022)
Journal Article
Fakae, L. B., Harun, M. S., Ting, D. S. J., Dua, H. S., Cave, G. W., Zhu, X. Q., …Elsheikha, H. M. (2023). Camellia sinensis solvent extract, epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine confer trophocidal and cysticidal effects against Acanthamoeba castellanii. Acta Tropica, 237, Article 106729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106729

We examined the anti-acanthamoebic efficacy of green tea Camellia sinensis solvent extract (SE) or its chemical constituents against Acanthamoeba castellanii by using anti-trophozoite, anti-encystation, and anti-excystation assays. C. sinensis SE (62... Read More about Camellia sinensis solvent extract, epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine confer trophocidal and cysticidal effects against Acanthamoeba castellanii.

Microfluidic-Based Formulation of Essential Oils-Loaded Chitosan Coated PLGA Particles Enhances Their Bioavailability and Nematocidal Activity (2022)
Journal Article
Helal, M. A., Abdel-Gawad, A. M., Kandil, O. M., Khalifa, M. M., Morrison, A. A., Bartley, D. J., …Elsheikha, H. M. (2022). Microfluidic-Based Formulation of Essential Oils-Loaded Chitosan Coated PLGA Particles Enhances Their Bioavailability and Nematocidal Activity. Pharmaceutics, 14(10), Article 2030. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14102030

In this study, poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) particles were synthesized and coated with chitosan. Three essential oil (EO) components (eugenol, linalool, and geraniol) were entrapped inside these PLGA particles by using the continuous flow-fo... Read More about Microfluidic-Based Formulation of Essential Oils-Loaded Chitosan Coated PLGA Particles Enhances Their Bioavailability and Nematocidal Activity.

Lipidomic changes in the liver of beagle dogs associated with Toxocara canis infection (2022)
Journal Article
Li, H. Y., Zou, Y., Elsheikha, H. M., Xu, Y., Cai, L., Xie, S. C., …Zheng, W. B. (2022). Lipidomic changes in the liver of beagle dogs associated with Toxocara canis infection. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 12, Article 890589. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.890589

A global lipidomic analysis using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was performed on the liver of beagle dogs infected with Toxocara canis to profile hepatic lipid species at 12h post-infection (hpi), 24 hpi, and 36 days post-infection (... Read More about Lipidomic changes in the liver of beagle dogs associated with Toxocara canis infection.