Five Questions about Microsporidia 英文参考文献.docVIP

Pearls FiveQuestionsaboutMicrosporidia PatrickKeeling* CanadianInstituteforAdvancedResearch,BotanyDepartment,UniversityofBritishColumbia,Vancouver,BritishColumbia,Canada WhatAreMicrosporidia? Microsporidia are a diverse group of obligate intracellular eukaryotic parasites. There are approximately 1,300 formally described species in 160 genera [1], but this certainly represents a tiny fraction of the real diversity because most potential host lineages have been poorly surveyed. Nearly all microsporidia are known to infect animals, and some are responsible for a number of human diseases (13 species of microsporidia have been docu- mented to infect humans) predominantly associated with immune suppression [2]. They also infect several commercially importantanimalspeciessuchasbees,silk worms,andsalmon,andvariousdomesti- cated mammals. They are thought to be especially common in insects and fish, although mostinvertebrates havebeen so poorly surveyed this may change. Their infective stage is a thick-walled spore, which is also the only stage that can survive outside their host cell [3]. The spore contains a sophisticated infection apparatus, primarily distinguished by a long, coiled filament called the polar filament. When the spore germinates, an inflow of water leads to pressure in the sporethateventuallyrupturesthewalland forces the polar filament to eject, turning inside out to form a tube (Figure 1) [4]. This process takes place very quickly, so the polar tube is in effect a projectile. At the completion of germination, the para- site cytoplasm is forced through the tube and either delivered to the surface of the hostcell,orperhapsinjectedintothehost Figure1.LightmicrographofAntonosporalocustaewithpressure-inducedpolartube eversion.Thescalebaris10um.(A)Manyungerminatedspores(oneexamplelabeledU)anda few germinated spores, showing the residual spore wall (one example labeled G). (B) A germinatedsporewheretheevertedpolartube(PT)hasextendedfarfromthecellandcanbe see