StackRSS Canonical Source Context
Original Article Title: Methylation puts parasites in motion
Journal or Source Feed: Eurekalert | Biology
Original Publication Date: Not provided
Canonical Source URL:
Canonical DOI: Not provided
Context Rule: These fields identify the source article. DOIs inside the bibliography identify cited works and must not replace the canonical DOI above.
Original Abstract or Feed Summary: LMU researchers identify a molecular mechanism that enables single-celled parasites to switch on the machinery they need to move and invade host cells.
News Release
28-Aug-2026
Methylation puts parasites in motion
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
LMU researchers identify a molecular mechanism that enables single-celled parasites to switch on the machinery they need to move and invade host cells.
Parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii and the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum depend on rapid, precisely controlled movement to complete their life cycles. To start moving, they must assemble actin filaments at their front end and connect them to the molecular machinery that generates force. How these events are coordinated has remained unclear.
A team led by Dr. Elena Jimenez-Ruiz at LMU’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has now shown that in T. gondii, two lysine methyltransferases become active sequentially at the pointed end of the parasite.
The newly characterized enzyme PCKMT positions the actin nucleator Formin-1 at the parasite tip, allowing local actin assembly and protrusion of the conoid, a specialized structure involved in invasion. A second methyltransferase, AKMT, then participates in the downstream reorganization that couples the actin network to force transmission.
“What surprised us is that methylation is not acting here in the nucleus, where it is best known, but directly at the parasite’s motility machinery,” says Jimenez-Ruiz. “These two enzymes appear to organize the transition from a parasite that is prepared to move to one that can actually generate force.”
After the scientists removed PCKMT, Formin-1 failed to localize correctly, actin assembly did not initiate, and the parasites could no longer efficiently move, exit host cells, or invade new ones. The researchers also found that the related enzyme PfSET9 localizes to the apical end of P. falciparum and that its depletion strongly impairs invasion of red blood cells, suggesting that this regulatory principle may extend across so-called apicomplexan parasites.
The findings reveal lysine methylation as an unexpected regulatory layer connecting signaling, cytoskeletal activation, and mechanical force. Because these methyltransferases are specific to apicomplexan parasites, they could provide promising starting points for drug development: compounds that block their activity might disrupt parasite movement and invasion without targeting equivalent enzymes in human cells.
Journal
Nature Communications
DOI
10.1038/s41467-026-77078-y
Article Title
Dual apical methyltransferases orchestrate motility initiation in apicomplexan parasites
Article Publication Date
26-Aug-2026
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
Subject of Research: Biology
Article Title: Methylation puts parasites in motion
Article References: Original research article
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: Not provided
Keywords: epigenetic control of parasitic movement, epigenetic regulation of parasite behavior, epigenetics in infectious diseases, gene regulation in parasites, methylation and parasite pathogenicity, molecular biology of parasites, molecular mechanisms of parasite motility, parasite invasion machinery, parasite invasion strategies, parasite methylation, parasite-host cell interaction, single-celled parasite mobility
Cite Scienmag News
APA MLA Chicago
Juliet Wilcox. (August 31, 2026). Methylation puts parasites in motion. Scienmag. https://scienmag.com/methylation-puts-parasites-in-motion/
Copy citation Download RIS
Tags: epigenetic control of parasitic invasionepigenetic control of parasitic movementepigenetic regulation of parasite behaviorepigenetics in infectious diseasesepigenetics in parasitologygene regulation in parasiteshost cell invasion mechanismsmethylation and parasite behaviormethylation and parasite pathogenicitymolecular biology of parasitesmolecular mechanisms in parasitesmolecular mechanisms of parasite motilityparasite gene regulationparasite invasion machineryparasite invasion strategiesparasite methylationparasite motility regulationparasite-host cell interactionparasite-host interactionssingle-celled parasite mobilitysingle-celled parasite movement
