Toxoplasma gondii GRA8 induces ATP5A1–SIRT3-mediated mitochondrial metabolic resuscitation: a potential therapy for sepsis

A parasite protein that stimulates mitochondrial function protects mice from bacterial infection and sepsis. Chul-Su Yang and colleagues at Hanyang University, Ansan, South Korea investigated the effects of GRA8, a protein secreted by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, on mouse immune cells. GRA8 contributes to the survival of the parasite in host cells by localizing to mitochondria and binding to proteins involved in the production of the cells' energy currency, ATP. This effect can be harnessed to treat conditions that cause mitochondrial dysfunction such as sepsis, which occurs when the immune system reacts in an extreme way to infection and harms the host's own tissues. Treatment with GRA8 not only protected mice from sepsis, but also reduced bacterial growth after infection. Further research will determine whether GRA8 can be used to treat infectious diseases that damage mitochondria.