malaria
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyImmune Response and Microbiota Profiles during Coinfection with Plasmodium vivax and Soil-Transmitted HelminthsPlasmodium (malaria) and helminth parasite coinfections are frequent, and both infections can be affected by the host gut microbiota. However, the relationship between coinfection and the gut microbiota is unclear. By performing comprehensive analyses on blood/stool samples from 130 individuals in Colombia, we found that the gut microbiota may have a stronger relationship with the number of...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPlasmodium falciparum Apicomplexan-Specific Glucosamine-6-Phosphate N-Acetyltransferase Is Key for Amino Sugar Metabolism and Asexual Blood Stage DevelopmentApicomplexan parasites cause a major burden on global health and economy. The absence of treatments, the emergence of resistances against available therapies, and the parasite’s ability to manipulate host cells and evade immune systems highlight the urgent need to characterize new drug targets to treat infections caused by these parasites. We demonstrate that glucosamine-6-phosphate N-acetyltransferase (GNA1), required for the...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceCaaX-Like Protease of Cyanobacterial Origin Is Required for Complex Plastid Biogenesis in Malaria ParasitesPlasmodium parasites, which cause malaria, and related apicomplexans are important human and veterinary pathogens. These parasites represent a highly divergent and understudied branch of eukaryotes, and as such often defy the expectations set by model organisms. One striking example of unique apicomplexan biology is the apicoplast, an essential but nonphotosynthetic plastid derived from an unusual secondary (eukaryote-eukaryote...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPhosphorylation of Rhoptry Protein RhopH3 Is Critical for Host Cell Invasion by the Malaria ParasiteHost cell invasion by the malaria parasite is critical for establishing infection in human host and is dependent on discharge of key ligands from organelles like rhoptry and microneme, and these ligands interact with host RBC receptors. In the present study, we demonstrate that phosphorylation of a key rhoptry protein, RhopH3, is critical for host invasion. Phosphorylation regulates its localization to rhoptries and discharge from the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Structure of the Cysteine-Rich Domain of Plasmodium falciparum P113 Identifies the Location of the RH5 Binding SiteMalaria is a deadly infectious disease primarily caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. It remains a major global health problem, and there is no highly effective vaccine. A parasite protein called RH5 is centrally involved in the invasion of host red blood cells, making it—and the other parasite proteins it interacts with—promising vaccine targets. We recently...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyLive-Cell FRET Reveals that Malaria Nutrient Channel Proteins CLAG3 and RhopH2 Remain Associated throughout Their Tortuous TraffickingMalaria parasites grow within circulating red blood cells and uptake nutrients through a pore on their host membrane. Here, we used gene editing to tag CLAG3 and RhopH2, two proteins linked to the nutrient pore, with fluorescent markers and tracked these proteins in living infected cells. After their synthesis in mature parasites, imaging showed that both proteins are packaged into membrane-bound rhoptries. When parasites ruptured their...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPhosphorylation-Dependent Assembly of a 14-3-3 Mediated Signaling Complex during Red Blood Cell Invasion by Plasmodium falciparum MerozoitesInvasion of red blood cells (RBCs) by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites is a complex process that is regulated by intricate signaling pathways. Here, we used phosphoproteomic profiling to identify the key proteins involved in signaling events during invasion. We found changes in the phosphorylation of various merozoite proteins, including multiple kinases previously...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRrp6 Regulates Heterochromatic Gene Silencing via ncRNA RUF6 Decay in Malaria ParasitesMalaria remains a major public health and economic burden. The heterochromatin environment controls the silencing of genes associated with the fate of malaria parasites. Previous studies have demonstrated that a group of GC-rich ncRNAs (RUF6) is associated with the mutually exclusive expression of var genes, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, through a series of genetic manipulation and genome-wide multiomics...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Virus Hosted in Malaria-Infected Blood Protects against T Cell-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases by Impairing DC Function in a Type I IFN-Dependent MannerAny infection modifies the host immune status, potentially ameliorating or aggravating the pathophysiology of a simultaneous inflammatory condition. In the course of investigating how malaria infection modulates the severity of contemporaneous inflammatory diseases, we identified a nonpathogenic mouse virus in stabilates of two widely used rodent parasite lines: Plasmodium...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyEvolution of Host Specificity by Malaria Parasites through Altered Mechanisms Controlling Genome MaintenanceMalaria remains one of the most prevalent and deadly infectious diseases of the developing world, causing approximately 228 million clinical cases and nearly half a million deaths annually. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, and of the five species capable of infecting humans, infections with P. falciparum are the most...