Expression data from Toxoplasma gondii mutants and wild-type during bradyzoite differentiation in vitro

Toxoplasma gondii pathogenesis includes the invasion of host cells by extracellular parasites (tachyzoites), replication of intracellular tachyzoites, and differentiation to a latent bradyzoite stage. Whole genome expression profiling was carried out using the newly developed Affymetrix ToxoGeneChip (GeneChip Tgondiia520372) in order to analyze the ~8,000 predicted genes in the T. gondii genome of mutants and wild-type, allowing for full-scale expression profiling during bradyzoite differentiation in vitro. RNA from mutant and wild-type parasites was extracted and hybridized to the ToxoGeneChip. We harvested extracellular tachyzoites from freshly lysed fibroblasts (ET, 0h), intracellular tachyzoites (IT, 24h post-invasion) and parasites subjected to bradyzoite growth conditions for 72h (B72, 72h of induction). Extracellular parasites from freshly lysed fibroblasts were harvested for the seven mutant parasite lines (12K, 13P, B7, 11P, 11K, 7K and P11) and mutant parasites subjected to bradyzoite differentiation conditions for 72h. For a few samples we also harvested parasites 11h post egress of host cells. A time course was carried out with wild-type: parasites subjected to bradyzoite growth conditions for 24h, 36h and 48h.