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Cats are the only animals in which the parasite Toxoplasma gondii<\/em> can reproduce and form cysts, which are then shed in their feces. In the environment, these cysts contaminate water, soil, and food, and can infect other animals and humans. Although this parasite has been studied for decades, a major challenge has been that its sexual reproduction only occurs in the feline intestine, making this stage difficult to access and understand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now, the Uruguayan team \u2014 composed entirely of women: Saira Cancela, Florencia Sena, Romina Pagotto, Martina Crispo, Mar\u00eda Eugenia Francia, and Mariela Bollati-Fogol\u00edn \u2014 has managed to recreate those conditions outside the feline host using a \u201cmini-intestine,\u201d a miniature version of the organ grown in the lab from cells. This tool not only makes it possible to study biological processes outside a living organism, but also reduces the need for experimental animals.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis development represents years of collaborative work among three institute laboratories*, in which we were able to recreate a previously almost inaccessible process of the parasite. Doing so required combining knowledge of cell biology, metabolism, and parasite genetics,\u201d explained Cancela and Sena, the study\u2019s lead authors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The scientists also succeeded in mimicking the feline intestinal environment and manipulating a gene called MORC<\/em>, which regulates the onset of the parasite\u2019s reproductive stage \u2014 meaning they were able to induce and observe sexual reproduction in the lab.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUntil recently, the role of MORC proteins in T. gondii<\/em> was a mystery. Today we know that they act as key epigenetic regulators in the transition toward the sexual stages,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This breakthrough provides the world\u2019s first tool to study this stage of the parasite in the laboratory and opens new pathways to understand how toxoplasmosis is transmitted and how the parasite evolves.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n