malaria
Research ArticleMalaria Parasite Schizont Egress Antigen-1 Plays an Essential Role in Nuclear Segregation during SchizogonyMalaria is a deadly infectious disease. Rationally designed novel therapeutics will be essential for its control and eradication.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHemozoin Promotes Lung Inflammation via Host Epithelial ActivationRespiratory distress (RD) is a complication of severe malaria associated with a particularly high risk for death in African children infected with the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The pathophysiology underlying RD remains poorly understood, and the condition is managed supportively.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPlasmodium falciparum Guanylyl Cyclase-Alpha and the Activity of Its Appended P4-ATPase Domain Are Essential for cGMP Synthesis and Blood-Stage EgressThe clinical manifestations of malaria arise due to successive rounds of replication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells. Once mature, daughter merozoites are released from infected erythrocytes to invade new cells in a tightly regulated process termed egress.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyExpansion of a Specific Plasmodium falciparum PfMDR1 Haplotype in Southeast Asia with Increased Substrate TransportGlobal efforts to eliminate malaria depend on the continued success of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) that target Plasmodium asexual blood-stage parasites. Resistance to ACTs, however, has emerged, creating the need to define the underlying mechanisms. Mutations in the P. falciparum multidrug resistance protein 1 (PfMDR1) transporter...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPlasmodium berghei K13 Mutations Mediate In Vivo Artemisinin Resistance That Is Reversed by Proteasome InhibitionRecent successes in malaria control have been seriously threatened by the emergence of Plasmodium falciparum parasite resistance to the frontline artemisinin drugs in Southeast Asia. P. falciparum artemisinin resistance is associated with mutations in the parasite K13 protein, which associates with...
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 | 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 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 | 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 | 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...