代谢调节的趋同进化支配着弓形虫的氧化还原适应，这一成果由美国怀特黑德研究所Sebastian Lourido小组经过不懈努力而取得。2026年8月11日，国际知名学术期刊《细胞》发表了这一成果。
研究团队筛选了顶端复合体寄生虫刚地弓形虫，以确定在拥挤期间支持寄生虫适应性的基因。在高寄生虫密度下，需要烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸（NAD）(P)+生物合成，以及几种寄生虫特异性因子，包括课题组人员命名为“弓形虫寄生虫氧化反应”（TgPRO）的RNA结合蛋白。TgPRO的损失使环境条件下的活性氧增加，而在低氧水平下的生长则挽救了活性氧。TgPRO调节参与碳代谢和铁硫离子组装的转录本的表达。铁硫热仪组装蛋白ISCU的调控依赖于TgPRO与转录本3' UTR的结合。通过趋同进化，TgPRO发挥了类似于其他物种已知代谢调节因子的作用，代表了顶复合体中第一个专门的代谢基因表达调节因子。
据介绍，不同的生物在拥挤中调整代谢基因表达，因为它们遇到营养缺乏，氧化应激和废物积累。顶复合体寄生虫在宿主细胞内的细胞内生长过程中经历这些压力，但缺乏已知的代谢适应调节因子。
附：英文原文
Title: Convergent evolution of metabolic regulation governs redox adaptation in Toxoplasma
Author: Christopher J. Giuliano, Chinmay A. Kalluraya, Joachim Kloehn, Megan A. Sloan, Molly E. Bunkofske, Christopher A. Hunter, Dominique Soldati-Favre, Clare R. Harding, Sebastian Lourido
Issue&Volume: 2026-08-11
Abstract: Diverse organisms adjust metabolic gene expression during crowding as they encounter nutrient scarcity, oxidative stress, and waste accumulation. Apicomplexan parasites experience these stresses during intracellular growth within host cells yet lack known regulators of metabolic adaptation. We screened the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii to identify genes that support parasite fitness during crowding. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)(P)+ biosynthesis was required at high parasite density, along with several parasite-specific factors, including an RNA-binding protein we named “T. gondii parasite response to oxidation” (TgPRO). TgPRO loss elevated reactive oxygen species under ambient conditions, which was rescued by growth at low oxygen levels. TgPRO regulates the expression of transcripts involved in carbon metabolism and iron-sulfur cluster assembly. Regulation of the iron-sulfur cluster assembly protein ISCU relies on TgPRO binding to the transcript’s 3′ UTR. Through convergent evolution, TgPRO performs a role analogous to that of known metabolic regulators from other species, representing the first dedicated regulator of metabolic gene expression in apicomplexans.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2026.07.029
Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(26)00827-5