Ethological dynamics in diorama environments

If the potential ability of (unicellular) organisms to adapt to their environment is called "proto-intelligence", the ability to adapt to the host environment as a parasite is exactly equivalent to it. In this study, I will establish an optimal "diorama environment" for the analysis of the ability of "proto-intelligence" possessing a parasitic protist, Toxoplasma gondii, which has a very high level of "proto-intelligence". Among the ability carrying by T. gondii, this study focuses on the ability to efficiently acquire nutrition and energy in the host cell. This parasite can recruit the host mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum to its surrounded membrane. I aim to elucidate the molecular mechanism of this host organelle recruitment. For this purpose, this study firstly investigates whether two new candidates for the host organelle recruitment factors are involved in the recruitment, by using reverse genetics approach. Furthermore, this study will also attempt to comprehensively identify the recruitment factors by identifying the interacting proteins with each recruitment factor.

Figure: Toxoplasma gondii recruits host mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum to the membrane surrounding the parasite itself.
T: T. gondii, *: host mitochondria, #: host endoplasmic reticulum, bar: 1µm