Rapid control of protein level in the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii.

Analysis of gene function in apicomplexan parasites is limited by the absence of reverse genetic tools that allow easy and rapid modulation of protein levels. The fusion of a ligand-controlled destabilization domain (ddFKBP) to a protein of interest enables rapid and reversible protein stabilization in T. gondii. This allows an efficient functional analysis of proteins that have a dual role during host cell invasion and/or intracellular growth of the parasite.