TgGCN5b, a central epigenetic regulator of Toxoplasma gondii growth and virulence

Toxoplasma gondii controls its growth and virulence through an epigenetic machinery strikingly similar to that found in plants. At the heart of this system, the enzyme TgGCN5b establishes a distinctive H3K9, H3K14 and H3K18 acetylation signature that keeps essential genes active. When TgGCN5b is depleted, the expression of hundreds of genes collapses, disrupting cell division, invasion, virulence and differentiation into the chronic stage. 

The study conducted by Mohamed-Ali Hakimi's team and published in Nature communications reveals a deeply remodeled SAGA complex in Toxoplasma gondii and identifies TgGCN5b as a central regulator linking epigenetic control to parasite development, adaptation and survival throughout its infectious life cycle.

Article:
Divergent SAGA complexes shape the Toxoplasma transcriptome for lytic cycle progression and host interaction
Cannella, D., Pachano, B., Shahinas, M. et al.
Nat Commun (2026). doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77153-4