Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites comprise significant pathogens of humans,
livestock, and wildlife, but also represent a diverse group of
eukaryotes with interesting and unique cell biology. Study of cell
biology in apicomplexan parasites is complicated by their small size,
and historically this has required the application of cutting-edge
microscopy techniques to investigate fundamental processes like mitosis
or cell division in these organisms. Recently, a technique called
expansion microscopy has been developed, which rather than increasing
instrument resolution like most imaging modalities, physically expands a
biological sample >4-fold. In only a few years since its
development, a derivative of expansion microscopy known as
ultrastructure-expansion microscopy (U-ExM) has been widely adopted and
proven extremely useful for studying cell biology of Apicomplexa. Here
we review the insights into apicomplexan cell biology that have been
enabled through the use of U-ExM, with a specific focus on
Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, and Cryptosporidium.
Further, we summarise emerging expansion microscopy modifications and
modalities and forecast how these may influence the field of parasite
cell biology in future.