Gliding through your defenses: how parasites move

The structure and function of a key component of the ‘glideosome’ have been established, providing researchers with a better understanding of how parasites move. A recent interdisciplinary study between structural biologists and parasitologists, led by research groups from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Hamburg, Germany), has revealed the structure of a protein that is key to the mechanisms by which specific parasites move. This new information has shed light on how certain parasites ‘glide’ in between the cells of the host and could reveal new avenues for therapeutic development. Gliding is a behavior exhibited by parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa...