Clare Harding

Postdoc position open to investigate chronic Toxoplasma infection!

elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

🧬Join us for Parasite Hour with PiP this Friday.🎙️Dr. Riward Campelo will talk about how PfHDP1 coordinates IMC formation and gametocyte maturation in P. falciparum—a dual-function protein critical for parasite transmission. Don’t miss it! #Malaria #CellBiology
To register: iu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Uncovering biomarkers for chronic toxoplasmosis detection highlights alternative pathways shaping parasite dormancy | EMBO Molecular Medicine imageimageDespite their clinical relevance, bradyzoite-filled cysts - the hallmark of chronic toxoplasmosis - are largely overlooked in current diagnostics. This study highlights bradyzoite serologica...

🧵 Ever wondered what Toxoplasma is doing in your brain years after that undercooked steak 🥩 or a sip of contaminated water? Turns out, it's been hiding in your brain 🧠and we finally have a way to spot it. New study just dropped in EMBO Molecular Medicine 👇
doi.org/10.1038/s443...

Structure, assembly and inhibition of the Toxoplasma gondii respiratory chain supercomplex - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology Here the authors demonstrate that the assembly of mitochondrial respiratory supercomplex (III2–IV) from Toxoplasma gondii is critical for parasite fitness. They reveal the basis for cytochrome b inhib...

Happy to share our latest paper. Result of a great collaboration between @sheinerlab.bsky.social @oninopantsu.bsky.social and Alexander Mühleip’s new group.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

📢 Big Announcement: Registration & abstract submission open for EMBO Workshop "Host-Parasite Relationship: From Mechanisms to Control Strategies" organized by ParaFrap @parafrap.bsky.social @embo.org

🗓️ 5-8 Oct 2025 - Les Embiez Island-France

🔚Deadline: 15 Jul 2025 meetings.embo.org/event/25-hos...

The KnuepferLab is hiring!

Our team is looking for a highly motivated, experienced molecular parasitologist to expand our group as a postdoctoral researcher at the RVC.

Follow either link below for more information on the project and the job offer:
lnkd.in/eprgmaE9
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMY962/p...

The dynamic transcriptome of Plasmodium malariae in the mosquito To survive and multiply in different host niches, malaria parasites require sets of proteins that are expressed during the life cycle in a timely manner. Plasmodium malariae is a human malaria parasit...

🚨New preprint from the lab!
This work reports for the first time the transcriptome of Plasmodium malariae in the mosquito

Impressive indeed discoveries about AP2 TFs, hypervariable multigene families and genes without orthologues, and of unknown function
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Tissue atlas of Cryptosporidium parvum infection reveals contrasts between the natural neonatal calf model and laboratory mouse models Cryptosporidium is an apicomplexan parasite that causes diarrhoeal disease. The species C. parvum is zoonotic and causes significant morbidity and mortality for both humans and farm animals; most comm...

If you have ever wanted to know "Where is the gut is the parasite?" this pre-print is for you. 🐮 Led by Peyton, with thanks to our wonderful collaborators at @moredunfoundation.bsky.social Frank Katzer, @geordieparasit.bsky.social and EMs by @lemgruber.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

GRiP-ing Crypto talk tomorrow from Mattie Pawlowic from the University of Dundee. Join us!
2 pm (GMT) | 3 pm (CET) | 9 am (EDT)
Link- uofglasgow.zoom.us/j/8172068584...
Passcode: 038661

Join us for a talk by Dr. Selasi Dankwa studies vascular pathology in pediatric cerebral malaria, with broader insights into endothelial barrier function and vascular disease. #Malaria #GlobalHealth #Neurovascular #parasites
You did not receive your link, register here
iu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Please see the new tour de force from @danaaghabi.bsky.social PhD! We think that we have finally found the major Toxoplasma iron/zinc importer. Thanks to ID21 at the @esrf.fr, and help from UGs and the lab.
This is what I wanted to find when I started my lab, and thanks to Dana we have it!

The Sii ECO Group Committee members stood together outside the Sir Graeme Davies Building, with Jennifer Barrie centre, holding the certificate.

🍃 | The @uofgsii.bsky.social Sir Graeme Davies Building recently retained its Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) Gold certification for 2024.

Thanks to everyone whose contributions made this possible, particularly @sii-ecogroup.bsky.social. ♻️

🔗 More: www.gla.ac.uk/schools/infe...

An Essential Adaptor for Apicoplast Fission and Inheritance in Malaria Parasites Blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum parasites rely on a non-photosynthetic plastid, the apicoplast, for survival, making it an attractive target for antimalarial intervention. Like the mitochondrion, th...

🚨 New preprint alert! 🚨
We’ve uncovered a key player in malaria parasite cell division—meet PfAnchor, the first apicoplast-specific dynamin adaptor protein! Check the thread below 🧵for more details. #U_ExM #Malaria #Apicoplast
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

🔥 Open postdoc position in human inflammation-driven control of infection! 🔥
Join me at the University of Geneva, Switzerland this summer as I’m moving my Wellcome-funded research activity to the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine! (1/5)

Please share!

Professor Lilach Sheiner pictured in the lab holding the C.A. Wright medal in an open presentation case.

🏅 | @uofgsii.bsky.social's Professor Lilach Sheiner (@sheinerlab.bsky.social) was recently awarded the prestigious C.A. Wright Medal by the @bspparasitology.bsky.social for outstanding contributions to the discipline.

Congratulations, Professor Sheiner!

🔗 Full story: www.gla.ac.uk/schools/infe...

We're based in the Ashworth Laboratories, King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh. Photo shows the main staircase in the entrance to the Ashworth, stone steps from the 1920s, decorated with a series of bright, colurful banners depicting the science that's tackled in the building.

I'm very pleased to have two lab positions open this week, to join our team looking at immune regulation in infection and co-infection. We're especially interested in tissue-based immunity, cytokine regulation and immune metabolism. Join us! Postdoc (3y) and research technician (12mo) posts open.

GRiP-ing seminars tomorrow! Our speaker for the day is Cecile Crosnier from University of York. Come, join us!

Cryptosporidium modifies intestinal microvilli through an exported virulence factor Cryptosporidium is a common intestinal infection of vertebrates and a significant threat to public health. Within the epithelial layer of the intestine, the parasite invades and replicates. Infected cells are readily detected under the microscope by the presence of elongated microvilli, particularly around the vacuole where the parasite resides. Here, we identify a family of Cryptosporidium virulence factors that are exported into the host cell during infection and localise to the microvilli. We examine the trafficking and function of the most highly expressed family member, MVP1, which appears to control the elongation of microvilli through engagement of host EBP50 and CDC42. Remarkably, this mechanism closely mirrors that of an enteropathogenic Escherichia coli virulence factor, MAP, which is also known to drive host microvilli elongation during infection. This highlights a unique instance where eukaryotic and prokaryotic virulence factors have convergently evolved to modulate host actin structures through a similar mechanism. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Cryptosporidium modifies intestinal microvilli through an
exported virulence factor!! Phenomenal work from the newly DR’ed Elena Rodrigues
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

GRiP-ing seminar this Friday! Our speaker is Paul Sigala from @utah.edu.
Come, join us!

Link: uofglasgow.zoom.us/j/8847101592...
Passcode: 896279

Our newest paper! Please see a beautiful (and gif-filled!) explained from @sloanmegan.bsky.social below

Old buildings at the University of Glasgow

Sometimes it's nice to pause and remember I work in a fairytale!

Molecular Parasitology Community - Travelaward2025 Scroll down for the application form

Do you work on parasites and reside in an LMIC? Consider applying for a 2025 MPM LMIC award. The deadline is March 3rd, 2025—details on the website.
www.parasitesrule.com/mpm-xxxvi/tr...

Seeing more and more parasitologists blueskiing. Just wanted to re-amplify that I have two starter packs of parasitologists that I regularly update with new members. Go and follow your fellow peeps! Also let me know if you cannot find yourself there.

Unfortunately this seminar tomorrow is cancelled because of Storm Éowyn. But we will have have Emma's talk on a later date, stay tuned!

Molecular Parasitology Community The MPM XXXVI website is now online

The MPM XXXVI page is now live. Sept 14th to Sept 18th. More updates will be coming soon. Check it out on the parasitesrule.com website. Organized this year by Richarch McCulloch @rmc9z.bsky.social, Photini Sinnis, Marc-Jan Gubbels, Deepali Ravel & Omar Harb @omarharb.bsky.social

🥁🥁 Job alertttt!! Interested in weird biology of malaria parasites? Inducible genetic screens? Single-cell RNAseq? Come postdoc with us - www.parafugelab.com ! International applicants or applicants just finishing up their PhD, both welcome!!

www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/research...

Has Bluesky replaced X for scientists? Take Nature’s poll The research community has flocked to the social-media platform Bluesky. Tell us about your experience.

Nature is keen to find out how scientists are using Bluesky and whether it has become their go-to soc media platform. Do you use Bluesky? Has it replaced X for you? Tell us about it: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

ATR, a DNA damage kinase, modulates DNA replication timing in Leishmania major. All cells possess mechanisms to maintain and replicate their genomes, whose integrity and transmission are constantly challenged by DNA damage and replication impediments. In eukaryotes, the protein k...

Pleased to share new work led by Gabriel da Silva @uofgsii.bsky.social describing how the DNA repair kinase ATR modulates the unusual chromosome size-dependent pattern of DNA replication timing in Leishmania @blackjen1.bsky.social @jezieldamasceno.bsky.social and Luiz Tosi
shorturl.at/RVKeX

I think that @danaaghabi.bsky.social who went last year would also reccomend this course!

Fancy some CRISPR screening? We are looking for an enthusiastic #posdoc to join us to investigate #Toxoplasma host-path interactions in different hosts.
elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...