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February 2024

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Ultrastructural insights into the microsporidian infection apparatus reveal the kinetics and morphological transitions of polar tube and cargo during host cell invasion
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During host cell invasion, microsporidian spores translocate their entire cytoplasmic content through a thin, hollow superstructure known as the polar tube. To achieve this, the polar tube transitions from a compact spring-like state inside the environmental spore to a long needle-like tube capable of long-range sporoplasm delivery. The unique mechanical properties of the building blocks of the polar tube allow for an explosive transition from compact to extended state and support the rapid cargo translocation process. The molecular and structural factors enabling this ultrafast process and the structural changes during cargo delivery are unknown. Here, Sharma et al. employ light microscopy and in situ cryo-electron tomography to visualize multiple ultrastructural states of the Vairimorpha necatrix polar tube, allowing them to evaluate the kinetics of its germination and characterize the underlying morphological transitions. They describe a cargo-filled state with a unique ordered arrangement of microsporidian ribosomes, which cluster along the thin tube wall, and an empty post-translocation state with a reduced diameter but a thicker wall. The image shows a schematic representation of the microsporidian polar tube transporting ribosome layers into the host.

Image Credit: The Barandun Laboratory

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