2. 5 Lack of Scd causes severe defects in organelle biogenesis
Lack of FAS II function in Toxoplasma gondii leads to defects in apicoplast biogenesis (Mazumdar et al. , 2006). To evaluate organelle morphology in Scd KO parasites, EEFs fixed at 62 hpi were immunostained with anti-ACP or anti-Bip antibodies to visualize the branching of the apicoplast and endoplasmic reticulum, respectively. We found normal branching of the apicoplast and endoplasmic reticulum in WT GFP parasites, whereas it was impaired in Scd KO parasites (Fig. 5A and B). Together, these results indicate that the FAS II pathway is essential for membrane biogenesis and parasite survival.