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High-resolution cryo-EM meets parasitology in structural models of the conoid from Toxoplasma

In this study, we applied single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to native samples isolated from the human parasite Toxoplasma gondii, determining multiple structures of key components of the conoid, a cone-shaped organelle essential for host-cell invasion. We assigned 40 distinct proteins to the cryo-EM densities and uncovered their spatial organization and interactions.

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Fig. 1: Cryo-EM structures of the key conoid components.

References

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This is a summary of: Zeng, J. et al. Atomic models of the Toxoplasma cell invasion machinery. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-025-01728-w (2025).

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High-resolution cryo-EM meets parasitology in structural models of the conoid from Toxoplasma. Nat Struct Mol Biol 33, 5–6 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-025-01729-9

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