Research Assistant Faculty

My research focuses on the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii that infects 1/3 of the world´s population. Although infection mostly passes with mild symptoms, immunosuppressed patients can develop severe illness. Acute infection can lead to life-threatening brain or heart pathology and current treatments are limited and show side effects. Host tissue damage is directly linked to parasite multiplication and I am interested in how cell division unfolds in Toxoplasma.

Apicomplexan parasites in general replicate by several cell division modes with two well-characterized examples being schizogony of the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium and endodyogeny of Toxoplasma. These division modes give rise to between two and up to thousands of newly formed parasites, respectively. Toxoplasma endodyogeny is arguably the simplest form of apicomplexan division generating two daughter cells as the offspring. Daughter cells are formed by an internal budding mechanism, which is concluded by separation and basal closure of the nascent cells. During cell division a structure called basal complex is central for proper cell division of the parasite, but a comprehensive understanding of its molecular composition, its mode of action and its regulation remains elusive.

I am currently applying a set of cell biological assays to dissect this parasite-specific structure.

• Weidner, J.M., Kanatani, S., Uchtenhagen, H., Varas-Godoy, M., Schulte, T., Engelberg, K., Gubbels, M.J., Sun, H.S., Harrison, R.E., Achour, A., Barragan, A., (2016): Migratory activation of parasitized dendritic cells by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii 14-3-3 protein. Cell Microbiol  18(11) 1537-50
• Engelberg, K., Ivey, F.D., Lin, A., Kono, M., Lorestani, A., Fusci-Fugio, D., Gilberger, T.W., White, M., Gubbels, M.J. (2016): A MORN1-associated HAD phosphatase in the basal complex is essential for Toxoplasma gondii daughter budding. Cell Microbiol 18(8) 1153-71
• Skariah, S., Walwyn, O., Engelberg, K., Gubbels, M.J., Kim, N., Lynch, B., Gaylets, C., Sultan, A., Mordue, D.G. (2016): Toxoplasma gondii’s FIKK kinase is not essential for the parasite’s lytic cycle. Int J Parasitol 46(5-6) 323-32

A complete list can be found under: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Engelberg+Klemens