Toxoplasma and Plasmodium falciparum are two distantly related eukaryotic, single cell parasites of humans and animals that live and replicate in cells of their eukaryotic host. To prevent clearance by the host immune system, they remodel their host cells by secreting proteins that co-opt, or interfere with host cell functions. The function of the majority of these secreted proteins is not known. In the lab we use a combination of unbiased genetic screens and reverse genetics to uncover the function of the secreted proteins in host-pathogen interaction. We use cell-biological and biochemical approaches to study protein function and aim to put it all into context of the co-evolution of the parasite and the host.
By doing so we hope to learn
i) basic principles of pathogen evolution,
ii) what makes one parasite strain more lethal than another,
iii) how pathogens achieve tolerance in a host which is ultimately required for success,
iv) learn about the immune response and
v) identify therapeutic entry points that may allow development of intervention strategies.