Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 May 16;70(3):108.
doi: 10.1007/s11686-025-01038-7.

Endocytic Activity by Apicomplexa Parasites

Wanderley de Souza  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Endocytic Activity by Apicomplexa Parasites

Wanderley de Souza. Acta Parasitol. .

Abstract

Macromolecules are incorporated by eukaryotic cells through a process known as endocytosis, intensely analyzed in mammalian and yeast cells, but still lacking deep studies in pathogenic protists. Here we present what is presently known on endocytic activity carried out in some members of the Apicomplexa group (mainly concentrated in Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, but with references to Eimeria, Babesia, and Theileria). In most cells, endocytic activity takes place throughout the cell's surface. In apicomplexans, it is restricted to a special surface structure known as a micropore (also called cytostome). Recent studies indicate that several proteins are in the micropore, playing a role in macromolecule uptake from the medium via budding vesicles.

Keywords: Babesia; Plasmodium; Theileria; Toxoplasma; Apicomplexa; Electron microscopy; Endocytosis; Protozoan.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Trager W (1986) Living together. The biology of animal parasitism. Springer
    1. Zuma A, Barrias ES, De Souza W (2021) Basic biology of Trypanosoma Cruzi. Curr Pharm Des 27:1671–1732. https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612826999201203213527 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kochanowsky JA, Mira PM, Elikaee S, Muratre K, Rai AK, Riestra AM, Johnson PJ (2024)
    1. De Souza W, Sant’Anna C, Cunha-e-Silva NL (2009) Electron microscopy and cytochemistry analysis of the endocytic pathway of pathogenic protozoa. Prog Histochem Cytochem 44:67–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proghi.2009.01.001 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alcantara CL, Vidal JC, De Souza W, Cunha-e-Silva W NL (2014) The three- dimensional structure of the cytostome-cytopharynx complex of Trypanosoma Cruzi epimastigotes. J Cell Sci 127:2227–2237. https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.135491 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources