DEVELOPMENT OF MOLECULAR-GENETICS FOR NEOSPORA-CANINUM - A COMPLEMENTARY SYSTEM TO TOXOPLASMA-GONDII

The development of molecular genetics has greatly enhanced the study o f Toxoplasma gondii, and investigations into the biology and pathology associated with neosporosis will be similarly benefited by the develo pment of molecular tools for Neospora caninum. We have demonstrated th e feasibility of using the existing DNA vectors developed for T. gondi i to transfect and transform the Nc-l strain of Neospora. We have also shown that T. gondii proteins are faithfully expressed and targeted i n N. caninum, indicating the suitability of using Neospora as a hetero logous expression system for studying T. gondii. These studies provide the basis for initiating molecular genetic studies on N. caninum and will allow for a number of molecular comparisons of these two closely related, though phenotypically distinct, parasites. Here we describe t he methods and reagents used to perform genetic manipulations of N. ca ninum, and we present some of the principles and potential utilities o f these molecular studies, including the use of N. caninum as a hetero logous system for the study of T. gondii proteins. (C) 1997 Academic P ress.