3D reconstructions of parasite development and the intracellular niche of the microsporidian pathogen Encephalitozoon intestinalis

Noelle V. Antao, Cherry Lam, Ari Davydov, Margot Riggi, Joseph Sall, Christopher Petzold, Feng-Xia Liang, Janet H. Iwasa, Damian C. Ekiert () and Gira Bhabha ()
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Noelle V. Antao: New York University School of Medicine
Cherry Lam: New York University School of Medicine
Ari Davydov: New York University School of Medicine
Margot Riggi: University of Utah
Joseph Sall: New York University School of Medicine
Christopher Petzold: New York University School of Medicine
Feng-Xia Liang: New York University School of Medicine
Janet H. Iwasa: University of Utah
Damian C. Ekiert: New York University School of Medicine
Gira Bhabha: New York University School of Medicine

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract Microsporidia are an early-diverging group of fungal pathogens with a wide host range. Several microsporidian species cause opportunistic infections in humans that can be fatal. As obligate intracellular parasites with highly reduced genomes, microsporidia are dependent on host metabolites for successful replication and development. Our knowledge of microsporidian intracellular development remains rudimentary, and our understanding of the intracellular niche occupied by microsporidia has relied on 2D TEM images and light microscopy. Here, we use serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) to capture 3D snapshots of the human-infecting species, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, within host cells. We track E. intestinalis development through its life cycle, which allows us to propose a model for how its infection organelle, the polar tube, is assembled de novo in developing spores. 3D reconstructions of parasite-infected cells provide insights into the physical interactions between host cell organelles and parasitophorous vacuoles, which contain the developing parasites. The host cell mitochondrial network is substantially remodeled during E. intestinalis infection, leading to mitochondrial fragmentation. SBF-SEM analysis shows changes in mitochondrial morphology in infected cells, and live-cell imaging provides insights into mitochondrial dynamics during infection. Our data provide insights into parasite development, polar tube assembly, and microsporidia-induced host mitochondria remodeling.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43215-0

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