Host-Pathogen Interactions – Infection, Immunity and Beyond

Primary Research

• IFITM3 deficiency drives SARS-CoV-2 adaptation while preserving variant-specific traits

  Denz et al. show that loss of the antiviral protein IFITM3 allows human SARS-CoV-2 variants to adapt more rapidly in mice while preserving distinct, variant-specific patterns of infection and disease.

  • Parker J. Denz
  • Samuel Speaks
  • Jacob S. Yount

  ArticleOpen Access29 Jan 2026 Nature Communications

• Bradyzoite subtypes rule the crossroads of Toxoplasma development

  The authors investigate the heterogeneity of Toxoplasma bradyzoites prior to recrudescence. Tissue cysts from infected mice harbor multiple bradyzoite subtypes with distinct developmental fates as evidenced by single-bradyzoite RNAseq and FACS.

  • Arzu Ulu
  • Sandeep Srivastava
  • Emma H. Wilson

  ArticleOpen Access24 Jan 2026 Nature Communications
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  An ER-resident lipid scramblase is crucial for biogenesis and function of apicomplexan parasite secretory organelles

  The authors identify the DedA superfamily protein VMP1 as an ER-resident lipid transporter in human parasites T. gondii and P. falciparum. VMP1 is crucial for the function of secretory organelles, ER maintenance, and homeostasis of lipid droplets.

  • G. Srinivas Reddy
  • Somesh M. Gorde
  • Puran Singh Sijwali

  ArticleOpen Access13 Dec 2025 Nature Communications