Team
Biomechanics of Host-Parasite Interactions

Dpt: Environnement, Reproduction, Infections, Cancer

Our research activities

The research interests of the “Biomechanics of Host-Parasite Interactions” team lie at the interface between the parasitology-cellular biology and biophysics fields. The multi- and interdisciplinary team programs have in the last ten years brought new insights in the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the forces the intracellular parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii/T. gondii must generate to achieve its exceptional motile and cell invasive skills. We primarily study the tachyzoite biological stage well acknowledged as a prototype for exploring motile behaviors because it moves at speeds greater than several microns per second and penetrates the host cells within a few seconds, thereby much faster than any bacteria uptake event by professional phagocytes. Beyond the expected gain of basic knowledge on the biomechanical properties of this microbe which are major determinants of its evolutionary success but also of its pathogenic potential to the hosts (i.e., most homeothermic animals), our research uses T. gondii as a unique live probe to unravel the mechanisms of membrane and cytoskeletal dynamics evolved by the (human) host cell that allow the successful entry by the microbe and subsequent intracellular proliferation.
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Isabelle TARDIEUX

Team leader

04 76 63 71 27

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Our research axes

These research programs rely on a combination of multidisciplinary approaches present through local collaborations in particular for P1 with the Department of Molecular Chemistry (DCM, University of Grenoble Alpes) and the Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Physics (LiPHY, University of Grenoble Alpes) and for P2 and P3, with the Quantitative Image Analysis Unit (LiPHY and Institut Pasteur, Paris).

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Structure and function of an invasive nano-device during invasion of the host cell

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Colonization of the ileal epithelium by Toxoplasma: crossing the physico-chemical barriers of mucus and glycocalyx

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Our major publications

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The BCC7 Protein Contributes to the Toxoplasma Basal Pole by Interfacing between the MyoC Motor and the IMC Membrane Network

Vigetti L, Labouré T, Roumégous C, Cannella D, Touquet B, Mayer C, Couté Y, Frénal…

Int J Mol Sci 2022 May 26;23(11):5995

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The power of parasite collectives

Tolić, I.M., Tardieux, I.

Nat. Phys 2022 May 13; 18:491–492

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Coupling Polar Adhesion with Traction, Spring, and Torque Forces Allows High-Speed Helical Migration of the Protozoan Parasite Toxoplasma

Pavlou G, Touquet B, Vigetti L, Renesto P, Bougdour A, Debarre D, Balland M, Tardieux…

ACS Nano 2020 Jun 23;14(6):7121-7139

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Profiling of myristoylation in Toxoplasma gondii reveals an N-myristoylated protein important for host cell penetration

Broncel M, Dominicus C, Vigetti L, Nofal SD, Bartlett EJ, Touquet B, Hunt A, Wallbank…

Elife 2020 Jul 3;9:e57861

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Apicomplexan F-actin is required for efficient nuclear entry during host cell invasion

Del Rosario M, Periz J, Pavlou G, Lyth O, Latorre-Barragan F, Das S, Pall GS,…

EMBO Rep 2019 Dec 5;20(12):e48896

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Toxoplasma Parasite Twisting Motion Mechanically Induces Host Cell Membrane Fission to Complete Invasion within a Protective Vacuole

Pavlou G, Biesaga M, Touquet B, Lagal V, Balland M, Dufour A, Hakimi MA, Tardieux…

Cell Host Microbe 2018 Jul 11;24(1):81-96.e5

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Genetic impairment of parasite myosin motors uncovers the contribution of host cell membrane dynamics to Toxoplasma invasion forces

Bichet M, Touquet B, Gonzalez V, Florent I, Meissner M, Tardieux I.

BMC Biol 2016 Nov 9;14(1):97

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The toxoplasma-host cell junction is anchored to the cell cortex to sustain parasite invasive force

Bichet M, Joly C, Hadj Henni A, Guilbert T, Xémard M, Tafani V, Lagal V,…

BMC Biol 2014 Dec 31;12(1):773

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Host cell entry by apicomplexa parasites requires actin polymerization in the host cell

Gonzalez V, Combe A, David V, Malmquist NA, Delorme V, Leroy C, Blazquez S, Ménard…

Cell Host Microbe 2009 Mar 19;5(3):259-72

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Our activities in pictures

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