Daniel Harris

The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii undergoes diverse oxygen tensions over its life cycle. Parasites sporulate in the environment, where they are exposed to 21% oxygen. However, upon ingestion, parasites invade host cells, wherein oxygen levels can be as low as 0.5%. How does such a divergent organism sense this change in its surroundings, when it lacks the transcription factors present in higher eukaryotes? My research uses ‘omics technologies to look at the flow of this information through Toxoplasma - how are changing oxygen levels sensed, and what affect do they have on the biology of this early divergent eukaryote?

I aim to identify genes that are differentially expressed, and proteins that are differentially modified, depending on the oxygen level. Furthermore, I aim to characterize what impact these changes have on the phenotype of Toxoplasma. It is my hope that the data generated here will yield fundamental insights into the biology of the wider protozoa group, charting how these organisms, which diverged relatively soon after the oxygenation of our atmosphere, interact with a cornerstone of our environment.

• Ira Blader, PhD

• PhD, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK