Fig. 2: Loss of AP2XI-2 blocks bradyzoite differentiation and results in severe morphological abnormalities under alkaline conditions.
From: The transcription factor AP2XI-2 is a key negative regulator of Toxoplasma gondii merogony
a Representative images of the indicated parasite strains grown in an alkaline culture medium without CO2 for 3 days for induction of bradyzoites. Red, anti-IMC1; green, FITC-DBL; magenta, anti-BAG1. Scale bar, 10 µm. b Quantification of bradyzoite differentiation in the indicated strains 3 days after exposure to alkaline stress. Data are presented as the mean ± SD from at least three independent biological replicates. The percentage of DBL-positive vacuoles was calculated based on at least 150 vacuoles per replicate. The percentage of vacuoles scoring “DBL-high” was used for comparison and analyzed by two-tailed, unpaired t test, ***p = 0.0002 (AP2XI-2-mAID -IAA vs +IAA), ***p = 0.0001 (Pru vs PruΔap2XI-2). c Heat map showing the decreased expression of selected bradyzoite highly expressed genes after depletion of AP2XI-2 under alkaline conditions. The color scale indicates log10-transformed FPKM values. Source data are provided as a Source data file.
