The Vacuolar Zinc Transporter TgZnT Protects Toxoplasma gondii from Zinc Toxicity

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular pathogen of human and animals. T. gondii pathogenesis is associated with its lytic cycle, which involves invasion, replication, egress out of the host cell, and invasion of a new one. T. gondii must be able to tolerate abrupt changes in the composition of the surrounding milieu as it progresses through its lytic cycle. We report the characterization of a Zn 2+ transporter of T. gondii (TgZnT) that is important for parasite growth. TgZnT restored Zn 2+ tolerance in yeast mutants that were unable to grow in media with high concentrations of Zn 2+ . We propose that TgZnT plays a role in Zn 2+ homeostasis during the T. gondii lytic cycle.