Plasmodium falciparum
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 | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe ZIP Code of Vesicle Trafficking in Apicomplexa: SEC1/Munc18 and SNARE ProteinsThe phylum of Apicomplexa groups medically relevant parasites such as those responsible for malaria and toxoplasmosis. As members of the Alveolata superphylum, these protozoans possess specialized organelles in addition to those found in all members of the eukaryotic kingdom. Vesicular trafficking is the major route of communication between membranous organelles. Neither the molecular mechanism that allows communication between...
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 | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Plasmodium falciparum Artemisinin Susceptibility-Associated AP-2 Adaptin μ Subunit is Clathrin Independent and Essential for Schizont MaturationWe examine in detail the AP-2 adaptin complex from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. In most studied organisms, AP-2 is involved in bringing material into the cell from outside, a process called endocytosis. Previous work shows that changes to the μ subunit of AP-2 can contribute to drug resistance. Our experiments show that AP-2 is essential for parasite...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRole of Plasmodium falciparum Kelch 13 Protein Mutations in P. falciparum Populations from Northeastern Myanmar in Mediating Artemisinin ResistanceArtemisinin resistance has emerged in Southeast Asia, endangering the substantial progress in malaria elimination worldwide. It is associated with mutations in the PfK13 protein, but how PfK13 mediates artemisinin resistance is not completely understood. Here we used a new antibody against PfK13 to show that the PfK13 protein is expressed in all stages of the asexual intraerythrocytic cycle as well as in gametocytes and is partially...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionPlasmodium falciparum Resistance to a Lead Benzoxaborole Due to Blocked Compound Activation and Altered Ubiquitination or SumoylationBenzoxaboroles are under study as potential new drugs to treat malaria. One benzoxaborole, AN13762, has potent activity and promising features, but its mechanisms of action and resistance are unknown. To gain insights into these mechanisms, we cultured malaria parasites with nonlethal concentrations of AN13762 and generated parasites with varied levels of resistance. Parasites with low-level resistance had mutations in PfPARE, which...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCRISPR Interference of a Clonally Variant GC-Rich Noncoding RNA Family Leads to General Repression of var Genes in Plasmodium falciparumPlasmodium falciparum is the deadliest malaria parasite species, accounting for the vast majority of disease cases and deaths. The virulence of this parasite is reliant upon the mutually exclusive expression of cytoadherence proteins encoded by the 60-member var gene family. Antigenic variation of this multigene family serves as an immune evasion mechanism,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Metabolite Repair Enzyme Phosphoglycolate Phosphatase Regulates Central Carbon Metabolism and Fosmidomycin Sensitivity in Plasmodium falciparumThe malaria parasite has a voracious appetite, requiring large amounts of glucose and nutrients for its rapid growth and proliferation inside human red blood cells. The host cell is resource rich, but this is a double-edged sword; nutrient excess can lead to undesirable metabolic reactions and harmful by-products. Here, we demonstrate that the parasite possesses a metabolite repair enzyme (PGP) that suppresses harmful metabolic by-...