1
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Schmidt S, Wichers-Misterek JS, Behrens HM, Birnbaum J, Henshall IG, Dröge J, Jonscher E, Flemming S, Castro-Peña C, Mesén-Ramírez P, Spielmann T. The Kelch13 compartment contains highly divergent vesicle trafficking proteins in malaria parasites. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011814. [PMID: 38039338 PMCID: PMC10718435 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Single amino acid changes in the parasite protein Kelch13 (K13) result in reduced susceptibility of P. falciparum parasites to artemisinin and its derivatives (ART). Recent work indicated that K13 and other proteins co-localising with K13 (K13 compartment proteins) are involved in the endocytic uptake of host cell cytosol (HCCU) and that a reduction in HCCU results in reduced susceptibility to ART. HCCU is critical for parasite survival but is poorly understood, with the K13 compartment proteins among the few proteins so far functionally linked to this process. Here we further defined the composition of the K13 compartment by analysing more hits from a previous BioID, showing that MyoF and MCA2 as well as Kelch13 interaction candidate (KIC) 11 and 12 are found at this site. Functional analyses, tests for ART susceptibility as well as comparisons of structural similarities using AlphaFold2 predictions of these and previously identified proteins showed that vesicle trafficking and endocytosis domains were frequent in proteins involved in resistance or endocytosis (or both), comprising one group of K13 compartment proteins. While this strengthened the link of the K13 compartment to endocytosis, many proteins of this group showed unusual domain combinations and large parasite-specific regions, indicating a high level of taxon-specific adaptation of this process. Another group of K13 compartment proteins did not influence endocytosis or ART susceptibility and lacked detectable vesicle trafficking domains. We here identified the first protein of this group that is important for asexual blood stage development and showed that it likely is involved in invasion. Overall, this work identified novel proteins functioning in endocytosis and at the K13 compartment. Together with comparisons of structural predictions it provides a repertoire of functional domains at the K13 compartment that indicate a high level of adaption of endocytosis in malaria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Schmidt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Jakob Birnbaum
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Jana Dröge
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ernst Jonscher
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sven Flemming
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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2
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Wichers-Misterek JS, Binder AM, Mesén-Ramírez P, Dorner LP, Safavi S, Fuchs G, Lenz TL, Bachmann A, Wilson D, Frischknecht F, Gilberger TW. A Microtubule-Associated Protein Is Essential for Malaria Parasite Transmission. mBio 2023; 14:e0331822. [PMID: 36625655 PMCID: PMC9973338 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03318-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Mature gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum display a banana (falciform) shape conferred by a complex array of subpellicular microtubules (SPMT) associated with the inner membrane complex (IMC). Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) define MT populations and modulate interaction with pellicular components. Several MAPs have been identified in Toxoplasma gondii, and homologues can be found in the genomes of Plasmodium species, but the function of these proteins for asexual and sexual development of malaria parasites is still unknown. Here, we identified a novel subpellicular MAP, termed SPM3, that is conserved within the genus Plasmodium, especially within the subgenus Laverania, but absent in other Apicomplexa. Conditional knockdown and targeted gene disruption of Pfspm3 in Plasmodium falciparum cause severe morphological defects during gametocytogenesis, leading to round, nonfalciform gametocytes with an aberrant SPMT pattern. In contrast, Pbspm3 knockout in Plasmodium berghei, a species with round gametocytes, caused no defect in gametocytogenesis, but sporozoites displayed an aberrant motility and a dramatic defect in invasion of salivary glands, leading to a decreased efficiency in transmission. Electron microscopy revealed a dissociation of the SPMT from the IMC in Pbspm3 knockout parasites, suggesting a function of SPM3 in anchoring MTs to the IMC. Overall, our results highlight SPM3 as a pellicular component with essential functions for malaria parasite transmission. IMPORTANCE A key structural feature driving the transition between different life cycle stages of the malaria parasite is the unique three-membrane pellicle, consisting of the parasite plasma membrane (PPM) and a double membrane structure underlying the PPM termed the inner membrane complex (IMC). Additionally, there are numerous linearly arranged intramembranous particles (IMPs) linked to the IMC, which likely link the IMC to the subpellicular microtubule cytoskeleton. Here, we identified, localized, and characterized a novel subpellicular microtubule-associated protein unique to the genus Plasmodium. The knockout of this protein in the human-pathogenic species P. falciparum resulted in malformed gametocytes and aberrant microtubules. We confirmed the microtubule association in the P. berghei rodent malaria homologue and show that its knockout results in a perturbed microtubule architecture, aberrant sporozoite motility, and decreased transmission efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Stephan Wichers-Misterek
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Annika M. Binder
- Integrative Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lilian Patrick Dorner
- Integrative Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Soraya Safavi
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gwendolin Fuchs
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias L. Lenz
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Research Unit for Evolutionary Immunogenomics, Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Danny Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Friedrich Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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3
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Kimmel J, Schmitt M, Sinner A, Jansen PWTC, Mainye S, Ramón-Zamorano G, Toenhake CG, Wichers-Misterek JS, Cronshagen J, Sabitzki R, Mesén-Ramírez P, Behrens HM, Bártfai R, Spielmann T. Gene-by-gene screen of the unknown proteins encoded on Plasmodium falciparum chromosome 3. Cell Syst 2023; 14:9-23.e7. [PMID: 36657393 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2022.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Taxon-specific proteins are key determinants defining the biology of all organisms and represent prime drug targets in pathogens. However, lacking comparability with proteins in other lineages makes them particularly difficult to study. In malaria parasites, this is exacerbated by technical limitations. Here, we analyzed the cellular location, essentiality, function, and, in selected cases, interactome of all unknown non-secretory proteins encoded on an entire P. falciparum chromosome. The nucleus was the most common localization, indicating that it is a hotspot of parasite-specific biology. More in-depth functional studies with four proteins revealed essential roles in DNA replication and mitosis. The mitosis proteins defined a possible orphan complex and a highly diverged complex needed for spindle-kinetochore connection. Structure-function comparisons indicated that the taxon-specific proteins evolved by different mechanisms. This work demonstrates the feasibility of gene-by-gene screens to elucidate the biology of malaria parasites and reveal critical parasite-specific processes of interest as drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Kimmel
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marius Schmitt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexej Sinner
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Sheila Mainye
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gala Ramón-Zamorano
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christa Geeke Toenhake
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Jakob Cronshagen
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ricarda Sabitzki
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hannah Michaela Behrens
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Richárd Bártfai
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
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4
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Wichers JS, Mesén-Ramírez P, Fuchs G, Yu-Strzelczyk J, Stäcker J, von Thien H, Alder A, Henshall I, Liffner B, Nagel G, Löw C, Wilson D, Spielmann T, Gao S, Gilberger TW, Bachmann A, Strauss J. PMRT1, a Plasmodium-Specific Parasite Plasma Membrane Transporter, Is Essential for Asexual and Sexual Blood Stage Development. mBio 2022; 13:e0062322. [PMID: 35404116 PMCID: PMC9040750 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00623-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane transport proteins perform crucial roles in cell physiology. The obligate intracellular parasite Plasmodium falciparum, an agent of human malaria, relies on membrane transport proteins for the uptake of nutrients from the host, disposal of metabolic waste, exchange of metabolites between organelles, and generation and maintenance of transmembrane electrochemical gradients for its growth and replication within human erythrocytes. Despite their importance for Plasmodium cellular physiology, the functional roles of a number of membrane transport proteins remain unclear, which is particularly true for orphan membrane transporters that have no or limited sequence homology to transporter proteins in other evolutionary lineages. Therefore, in the current study, we applied endogenous tagging, targeted gene disruption, conditional knockdown, and knockout approaches to investigate the subcellular localization and essentiality of six membrane transporters during intraerythrocytic development of P. falciparum parasites. They are localized at different subcellular structures-the food vacuole, the apicoplast, and the parasite plasma membrane-and four out of the six membrane transporters are essential during asexual development. Additionally, the plasma membrane resident transporter 1 (PMRT1; PF3D7_1135300), a unique Plasmodium-specific plasma membrane transporter, was shown to be essential for gametocytogenesis and functionally conserved within the genus Plasmodium. Overall, we reveal the importance of four orphan transporters to blood stage P. falciparum development, which have diverse intracellular localizations and putative functions. IMPORTANCE Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes possess multiple compartments with designated membranes. Transporter proteins embedded in these membranes not only facilitate movement of nutrients, metabolites, and other molecules between these compartments, but also are common therapeutic targets and can confer antimalarial drug resistance. Orphan membrane transporters in P. falciparum without sequence homology to transporters in other evolutionary lineages and divergent from host transporters may constitute attractive targets for novel intervention approaches. Here, we localized six of these putative transporters at different subcellular compartments and probed their importance during asexual parasite growth by using reverse genetic approaches. In total, only two candidates turned out to be dispensable for the parasite, highlighting four candidates as putative targets for therapeutic interventions. This study reveals the importance of several orphan transporters to blood stage P. falciparum development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Stephan Wichers
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Gwendolin Fuchs
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jing Yu-Strzelczyk
- Institute of Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jan Stäcker
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Heidrun von Thien
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Arne Alder
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Isabelle Henshall
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Benjamin Liffner
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Georg Nagel
- Institute of Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christian Löw
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Danny Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Shiqiang Gao
- Institute of Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Strauss
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
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5
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Klaus S, Binder P, Kim J, Machado M, Funaya C, Schaaf V, Klaschka D, Kudulyte A, Cyrklaff M, Laketa V, Höfer T, Guizetti J, Becker NB, Frischknecht F, Schwarz US, Ganter M. Asynchronous nuclear cycles in multinucleated Plasmodium falciparum facilitate rapid proliferation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabj5362. [PMID: 35353560 PMCID: PMC8967237 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj5362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Malaria-causing parasites proliferate within erythrocytes through schizogony, forming multinucleated stages before cellularization. Nuclear multiplication does not follow a strict geometric 2n progression, and each proliferative cycle produces a variable number of progeny. Here, by tracking nuclei and DNA replication, we show that individual nuclei replicate their DNA at different times, despite residing in a shared cytoplasm. Extrapolating from experimental data using mathematical modeling, we provide strong indication that a limiting factor exists, which slows down the nuclear multiplication rate. Consistent with this prediction, our data show that temporally overlapping DNA replication events were significantly slower than partially overlapping or nonoverlapping events. Our findings suggest the existence of evolutionary pressure that selects for asynchronous DNA replication, balancing available resources with rapid pathogen proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Severina Klaus
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Patrick Binder
- Institute for Theoretical Physics and BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Theoretical Systems Biology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Juyeop Kim
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marta Machado
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Charlotta Funaya
- Electron Microscopy Core Facility, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Violetta Schaaf
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Darius Klaschka
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Aiste Kudulyte
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marek Cyrklaff
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Vibor Laketa
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Höfer
- Theoretical Systems Biology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julien Guizetti
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nils B. Becker
- Theoretical Systems Biology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Ulrich S. Schwarz
- Institute for Theoretical Physics and BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Ganter
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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6
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Tehlan A, Bhowmick K, Kumar A, Subbarao N, Dhar SK. The tetrameric structure of Plasmodium falciparum phosphoglycerate mutase is critical for optimal enzymatic activity. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101713. [PMID: 35150741 PMCID: PMC8913309 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The glycolytic enzyme phosphoglycerate mutase (PGM) is of utmost importance for overall cellular metabolism and has emerged as a novel therapeutic target in cancer cells. This enzyme is also conserved in the rapidly proliferating malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which have a similar metabolic framework as cancer cells and rely on glycolysis as the sole energy-yielding process during intraerythrocytic development. There is no redundancy among the annotated PGM enzymes in Plasmodium, and PfPGM1 is absolutely required for the parasite survival as evidenced by conditional knockdown in our study. A detailed comparison of PfPGM1 with its counterparts followed by in-depth structure-function analysis revealed unique attributes of this parasitic protein. Here, we report for the first time the importance of oligomerization for the optimal functioning of the enzyme in vivo, as earlier studies in eukaryotes only focused on the effects in vitro. We show that single point mutation of the amino acid residue W68 led to complete loss of tetramerization and diminished catalytic activity in vitro. Additionally, ectopic expression of the WT PfPGM1 protein enhanced parasite growth, whereas the monomeric form of PfPGM1 failed to provide growth advantage. Furthermore, mutation of the evolutionarily conserved residue K100 led to a drastic reduction in enzymatic activity. The indispensable nature of this parasite enzyme highlights the potential of PfPGM1 as a therapeutic target against malaria, and targeting the interfacial residues critical for oligomerization can serve as a focal point for promising drug development strategies that may not be restricted to malaria only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Tehlan
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067
| | - Krishanu Bhowmick
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067
| | - Amarjeet Kumar
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Naidu Subbarao
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Suman Kumar Dhar
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067.
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7
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Characterization of Apicomplexan Amino Acid Transporters (ApiATs) in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum. mSphere 2021; 6:e0074321. [PMID: 34756057 PMCID: PMC8579892 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00743-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During the symptomatic human blood phase, malaria parasites replicate within red blood cells. Parasite proliferation relies on the uptake of nutrients, such as amino acids, from the host cell and blood plasma, requiring transport across multiple membranes. Amino acids are delivered to the parasite through the parasite-surrounding vacuolar compartment by specialized nutrient-permeable channels of the erythrocyte membrane and the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). However, further transport of amino acids across the parasite plasma membrane (PPM) is currently not well characterized. In this study, we focused on a family of Apicomplexan amino acid transporters (ApiATs) that comprises five members in Plasmodium falciparum. First, we localized four of the P. falciparum ApiATs (PfApiATs) at the PPM using endogenous green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagging. Next, we applied reverse genetic approaches to probe into their essentiality during asexual replication and gametocytogenesis. Upon inducible knockdown and targeted gene disruption, a reduced asexual parasite proliferation was detected for PfApiAT2 and PfApiAT4. Functional inactivation of individual PfApiATs targeted in this study had no effect on gametocyte development. Our data suggest that individual PfApiATs are partially redundant during asexual in vitro proliferation and fully redundant during gametocytogenesis of P. falciparum parasites. IMPORTANCE Malaria parasites live and multiply inside cells. To facilitate their extremely fast intracellular proliferation, they hijack and transform their host cells. This also requires the active uptake of nutrients, such as amino acids, from the host cell and the surrounding environment through various membranes that are the consequence of the parasite’s intracellular lifestyle. In this paper, we focus on a family of putative amino acid transporters termed ApiAT. We show expression and localization of four transporters in the parasite plasma membrane of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes that represent one interface of the pathogen to its host cell. We probed into the impact of functional inactivation of individual transporters on parasite growth in asexual and sexual blood stages of P. falciparum and reveal that only two of them show a modest but significant reduction in parasite proliferation but no impact on gametocytogenesis, pointing toward dispensability within this transporter family.
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8
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Wichers JS, Wunderlich J, Heincke D, Pazicky S, Strauss J, Schmitt M, Kimmel J, Wilcke L, Scharf S, von Thien H, Burda PC, Spielmann T, Löw C, Filarsky M, Bachmann A, Gilberger TW. Identification of novel inner membrane complex and apical annuli proteins of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Cell Microbiol 2021; 23:e13341. [PMID: 33830607 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The inner membrane complex (IMC) is a defining feature of apicomplexan parasites, which confers stability and shape to the cell, functions as a scaffolding compartment during the formation of daughter cells and plays an important role in motility and invasion during different life cycle stages of these single-celled organisms. To explore the IMC proteome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum we applied a proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID)-based proteomics approach, using the established IMC marker protein Photosensitized INA-Labelled protein 1 (PhIL1) as bait in asexual blood-stage parasites. Subsequent mass spectrometry-based peptide identification revealed enrichment of 12 known IMC proteins and several uncharacterized candidate proteins. We validated nine of these previously uncharacterized proteins by endogenous GFP-tagging. Six of these represent new IMC proteins, while three proteins have a distinct apical localization that most likely represents structures described as apical annuli in Toxoplasma gondii. Additionally, various Kelch13 interacting candidates were identified, suggesting an association of the Kelch13 compartment and the IMC in schizont and merozoite stages. This work extends the number of validated IMC proteins in the malaria parasite and reveals for the first time the existence of apical annuli proteins in P. falciparum. Additionally, it provides evidence for a spatial association between the Kelch13 compartment and the IMC in late blood-stage parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Stephan Wichers
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Juliane Wunderlich
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dorothee Heincke
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Samuel Pazicky
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Strauss
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marius Schmitt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jessica Kimmel
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Louisa Wilcke
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Scharf
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Heidrun von Thien
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paul-Christian Burda
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Löw
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Filarsky
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Tim W Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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9
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Giannangelo C, Siddiqui G, De Paoli A, Anderson BM, Edgington-Mitchell LE, Charman SA, Creek DJ. System-wide biochemical analysis reveals ozonide antimalarials initially act by disrupting Plasmodium falciparum haemoglobin digestion. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008485. [PMID: 32589689 PMCID: PMC7347234 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Ozonide antimalarials, OZ277 (arterolane) and OZ439 (artefenomel), are synthetic peroxide-based antimalarials with potent activity against the deadliest malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Here we used a "multi-omics" workflow, in combination with activity-based protein profiling (ABPP), to demonstrate that peroxide antimalarials initially target the haemoglobin (Hb) digestion pathway to kill malaria parasites. Time-dependent metabolomic profiling of ozonide-treated P. falciparum infected red blood cells revealed a rapid depletion of short Hb-derived peptides followed by subsequent alterations in lipid and nucleotide metabolism, while untargeted peptidomics showed accumulation of longer Hb-derived peptides. Quantitative proteomics and ABPP assays demonstrated that Hb-digesting proteases were increased in abundance and activity following treatment, respectively. Ozonide-induced depletion of short Hb-derived peptides was less extensive in a drug-treated K13-mutant artemisinin resistant parasite line (Cam3.IIR539T) than in the drug-treated isogenic sensitive strain (Cam3.IIrev), further confirming the association between ozonide activity and Hb catabolism. To demonstrate that compromised Hb catabolism may be a primary mechanism involved in ozonide antimalarial activity, we showed that parasites forced to rely solely on Hb digestion for amino acids became hypersensitive to short ozonide exposures. Quantitative proteomics analysis also revealed parasite proteins involved in translation and the ubiquitin-proteasome system were enriched following drug treatment, suggestive of the parasite engaging a stress response to mitigate ozonide-induced damage. Taken together, these data point to a mechanism of action involving initial impairment of Hb catabolism, and indicate that the parasite regulates protein turnover to manage ozonide-induced damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Giannangelo
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ghizal Siddiqui
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Amanda De Paoli
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bethany M. Anderson
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laura E. Edgington-Mitchell
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Susan A. Charman
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Darren J. Creek
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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10
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Hoeijmakers WAM, Miao J, Schmidt S, Toenhake CG, Shrestha S, Venhuizen J, Henderson R, Birnbaum J, Ghidelli-Disse S, Drewes G, Cui L, Stunnenberg HG, Spielmann T, Bártfai R. Epigenetic reader complexes of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 47:11574-11588. [PMID: 31728527 PMCID: PMC7145593 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz1044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic regulatory mechanisms are central to the development and survival of all eukaryotic organisms. These mechanisms critically depend on the marking of chromatin domains with distinctive histone tail modifications (PTMs) and their recognition by effector protein complexes. Here we used quantitative proteomic approaches to unveil interactions between PTMs and associated reader protein complexes of Plasmodium falciparum, a unicellular parasite causing malaria. Histone peptide pull-downs with the most prominent and/or parasite-specific PTMs revealed the binding preference for 14 putative and novel reader proteins. Amongst others, they highlighted the acetylation-level-dependent recruitment of the BDP1/BDP2 complex and identified an PhD-finger protein (PHD 1, PF3D7_1008100) that could mediate a cross-talk between H3K4me2/3 and H3K9ac marks. Tagging and interaction proteomics of 12 identified proteins unveiled the composition of 5 major epigenetic complexes, including the elusive TBP-associated-factor complex as well as two distinct GCN5/ADA2 complexes. Furthermore, it has highlighted a remarkable degree of interaction between these five (sub)complexes. Collectively, this study provides an extensive inventory of PTM-reader interactions and composition of epigenetic complexes. It will not only fuel further explorations of gene regulation amongst ancient eukaryotes, but also provides a stepping stone for exploration of PTM-reader interactions for antimalarial drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jun Miao
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.,Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Sabine Schmidt
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg D-20359, Germany
| | | | - Sony Shrestha
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Jeron Venhuizen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525 GA, the Netherlands
| | - Rob Henderson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525 GA, the Netherlands.,TropIQ Health Sciences, Nijmegen 6534 AT, the Netherlands
| | - Jakob Birnbaum
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg D-20359, Germany
| | | | - Gerard Drewes
- Cellzome GmbH, a GlaxoSmithKline Company, Heidelberg 69117, Germany
| | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.,Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Hendrik Gerard Stunnenberg
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525 GA, the Netherlands.,Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht 3584CS, the Netherlands
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg D-20359, Germany
| | - Richárd Bártfai
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525 GA, the Netherlands
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11
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Birnbaum J, Scharf S, Schmidt S, Jonscher E, Hoeijmakers WAM, Flemming S, Toenhake CG, Schmitt M, Sabitzki R, Bergmann B, Fröhlke U, Mesén-Ramírez P, Blancke Soares A, Herrmann H, Bártfai R, Spielmann T. A Kelch13-defined endocytosis pathway mediates artemisinin resistance in malaria parasites. Science 2020; 367:51-59. [PMID: 31896710 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax4735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 228] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Artemisinin and its derivatives (ARTs) are the frontline drugs against malaria, but resistance is jeopardizing their effectiveness. ART resistance is mediated by mutations in the parasite's Kelch13 protein, but Kelch13 function and its role in resistance remain unclear. In this study, we identified proteins located at a Kelch13-defined compartment. Inactivation of eight of these proteins, including Kelch13, rendered parasites resistant to ART, revealing a pathway critical for resistance. Functional analysis showed that these proteins are required for endocytosis of hemoglobin from the host cell. Parasites with inactivated Kelch13 or a resistance-conferring Kelch13 mutation displayed reduced hemoglobin endocytosis. ARTs are activated by degradation products of hemoglobin. Hence, reduced activity of Kelch13 and its interactors diminishes hemoglobin endocytosis and thereby ART activation, resulting in parasite resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Birnbaum
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Scharf
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Schmidt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ernst Jonscher
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Sven Flemming
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christa Geeke Toenhake
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud University, Geert Grooteplein 26-28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Marius Schmitt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ricarda Sabitzki
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Bärbel Bergmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Fröhlke
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Hendrik Herrmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Richárd Bártfai
- Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud University, Geert Grooteplein 26-28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
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12
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Geiger M, Brown C, Wichers JS, Strauss J, Lill A, Thuenauer R, Liffner B, Wilcke L, Lemcke S, Heincke D, Pazicky S, Bachmann A, Löw C, Wilson DW, Filarsky M, Burda PC, Zhang K, Junop M, Gilberger TW. Structural Insights Into PfARO and Characterization of its Interaction With PfAIP. J Mol Biol 2019; 432:878-896. [PMID: 31877322 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites contain rhoptries, which are specialized secretory organelles that coordinate host cell invasion. During the process of invasion, rhoptries secrete their contents to facilitate interaction with, and entry into, the host cell. Here, we report the crystal structure of the rhoptry protein Armadillo Repeats-Only (ARO) from the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum (PfARO). The structure of PfARO comprises five tandem Armadillo-like (ARM) repeats, with adjacent ARM repeats stacked in a head-to-tail orientation resulting in PfARO adopting an elongated curved shape. Interestingly, the concave face of PfARO contains two distinct patches of highly conserved residues that appear to play an important role in protein-protein interaction. We functionally characterized the P. falciparum homolog of ARO interacting protein (PfAIP) and demonstrate that it localizes to the rhoptries. We show that conditional mislocalization of PfAIP leads to deficient red blood cell invasion. Guided by the structure, we identified mutations of PfARO that lead to mislocalization of PfAIP. Using proximity-based biotinylation we probe into PfAIP interacting proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Geiger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Chris Brown
- Western University, Department of Biochemistry, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jan Stephan Wichers
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Strauss
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrés Lill
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Roland Thuenauer
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Liffner
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Louisa Wilcke
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Lemcke
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dorothee Heincke
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Samuel Pazicky
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg Unit c/o Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Löw
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg Unit c/o Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Danny William Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael Filarsky
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paul-Christian Burda
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kun Zhang
- Western University, Department of Biochemistry, London, ON, Canada
| | - Murray Junop
- Western University, Department of Biochemistry, London, ON, Canada.
| | - Tim Wolf Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
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13
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Mesén-Ramírez P, Bergmann B, Tran TT, Garten M, Stäcker J, Naranjo-Prado I, Höhn K, Zimmerberg J, Spielmann T. EXP1 is critical for nutrient uptake across the parasitophorous vacuole membrane of malaria parasites. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000473. [PMID: 31568532 PMCID: PMC6786648 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular malaria parasites grow in a vacuole delimited by the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM). This membrane fulfils critical roles for survival of the parasite in its intracellular niche such as in protein export and nutrient acquisition. Using a conditional knockout (KO), we here demonstrate that the abundant integral PVM protein exported protein 1 (EXP1) is essential for parasite survival but that this is independent of its previously postulated function as a glutathione S-transferase (GST). Patch-clamp experiments indicated that EXP1 is critical for the nutrient-permeable channel activity at the PVM. Loss of EXP1 abolished the correct localisation of EXP2, a pore-forming protein required for the nutrient-permeable channel activity and protein export at the PVM. Unexpectedly, loss of EXP1 affected only the nutrient-permeable channel activity of the PVM but not protein export. Parasites with low levels of EXP1 became hypersensitive to low nutrient conditions, indicating that EXP1 indeed is needed for nutrient uptake and experimentally confirming the long-standing hypothesis that the channel activity measured at the PVM is required for parasite nutrient acquisition. Hence, EXP1 is specifically required for the functional expression of EXP2 as the nutrient-permeable channel and is critical for the metabolite supply of malaria parasites. Intracellular malaria parasites reside in a vacuole that is formed by the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM) that separates the parasite from the host cell. Conditional knock-out reveals that the major integral PVM protein EXP1 is essential for the nutrient permeable channel activity of the PVM, and implicates this channel in parasite nutrient acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Bärbel Bergmann
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thuy Tuyen Tran
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Garten
- Section on Integrative Biophysics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jan Stäcker
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Isabel Naranjo-Prado
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Höhn
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joshua Zimmerberg
- Section on Integrative Biophysics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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14
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Wichers JS, Scholz JAM, Strauss J, Witt S, Lill A, Ehnold LI, Neupert N, Liffner B, Lühken R, Petter M, Lorenzen S, Wilson DW, Löw C, Lavazec C, Bruchhaus I, Tannich E, Gilberger TW, Bachmann A. Dissecting the Gene Expression, Localization, Membrane Topology, and Function of the Plasmodium falciparum STEVOR Protein Family. mBio 2019; 10:e01500-19. [PMID: 31363031 PMCID: PMC6667621 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01500-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
During its intraerythrocytic development, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum exposes variant surface antigens (VSAs) on infected erythrocytes to establish and maintain an infection. One family of small VSAs is the polymorphic STEVOR proteins, which are marked for export to the host cell surface through their PEXEL signal peptide. Interestingly, some STEVORs have also been reported to localize to the parasite plasma membrane and apical organelles, pointing toward a putative function in host cell egress or invasion. Using deep RNA sequencing analysis, we characterized P. falciparumstevor gene expression across the intraerythrocytic development cycle, including free merozoites, in detail and used the resulting stevor expression profiles for hierarchical clustering. We found that most stevor genes show biphasic expression oscillation, with maximum expression during trophozoite stages and a second peak in late schizonts. We selected four STEVOR variants, confirmed the expected export of these proteins to the host cell membrane, and tracked them to a secondary location, either to the parasite plasma membrane or the secretory organelles of merozoites in late schizont stages. We investigated the function of a particular STEVOR that showed rhoptry localization and demonstrated its role at the parasite-host interface during host cell invasion by specific antisera and targeted gene disruption. Experimentally determined membrane topology of this STEVOR revealed a single transmembrane domain exposing the semiconserved as well as variable protein regions to the cell surface.IMPORTANCE Malaria claims about half a million lives each year. Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the most severe form of the disease, uses proteins that are translocated to the surface of infected erythrocytes for immune evasion. To circumvent the detection of these gene products by the immune system, the parasite evolved a complex strategy that includes gene duplications and elaborate sequence polymorphism. STEVORs are one family of these variant surface antigens and are encoded by about 40 genes. Using deep RNA sequencing of blood-stage parasites, including free merozoites, we first established stevor expression of the cultured isolate and compared it with published transcriptomes. We reveal a biphasic expression of most stevor genes and confirm this for individual STEVORs at the protein level. The membrane topology of a rhoptry-associated variant was experimentally elucidated and linked to host cell invasion, underlining the importance of this multifunctional protein family for parasite proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Stephan Wichers
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Jan Strauss
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), DESY, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Witt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrés Lill
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Benjamin Liffner
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Renke Lühken
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michaela Petter
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stephan Lorenzen
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Danny W Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christian Löw
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), DESY, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Iris Bruchhaus
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Egbert Tannich
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim W Gilberger
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
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15
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Kennedy K, Cobbold SA, Hanssen E, Birnbaum J, Spillman NJ, McHugh E, Brown H, Tilley L, Spielmann T, McConville MJ, Ralph SA. Delayed death in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is caused by disruption of prenylation-dependent intracellular trafficking. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000376. [PMID: 31318858 PMCID: PMC6667170 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites possess a plastid organelle called the apicoplast. Inhibitors that selectively target apicoplast housekeeping functions, including DNA replication and protein translation, are lethal for the parasite, and several (doxycycline, clindamycin, and azithromycin) are in clinical use as antimalarials. A major limitation of such drugs is that treated parasites only arrest one intraerythrocytic development cycle (approximately 48 hours) after treatment commences, a phenotype known as the ‘delayed death’ effect. The molecular basis of delayed death is a long-standing mystery in parasitology, and establishing the mechanism would aid rational clinical implementation of apicoplast-targeted drugs. Parasites undergoing delayed death transmit defective apicoplasts to their daughter cells and cannot produce the sole, blood-stage essential metabolic product of the apicoplast: the isoprenoid precursor isopentenyl-pyrophosphate. How the isoprenoid precursor depletion kills the parasite remains unknown. We investigated the requirements for the range of isoprenoids in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and characterised the molecular and morphological phenotype of parasites experiencing delayed death. Metabolomic profiling reveals disruption of digestive vacuole function in the absence of apicoplast derived isoprenoids. Three-dimensional electron microscopy reveals digestive vacuole fragmentation and the accumulation of cytostomal invaginations, characteristics common in digestive vacuole disruption. We show that digestive vacuole disruption results from a defect in the trafficking of vesicles to the digestive vacuole. The loss of prenylation of vesicular trafficking proteins abrogates their membrane attachment and function and prevents the parasite from feeding. Our data show that the proximate cause of delayed death is an interruption of protein prenylation and consequent cellular trafficking defects. After treatment with drugs that target apicoplast functions, malaria parasites are initially superficially healthy and go on to infect new erythrocytes. This cell biology study shows that the parasites subsequently die in their second cycle due to trafficking defects caused by depletion of prenyl groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kit Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Simon A. Cobbold
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Eric Hanssen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Advanced Microscopy Facility, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jakob Birnbaum
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Natalie J. Spillman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Emma McHugh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hannah Brown
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Leann Tilley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Section, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Malcolm J. McConville
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stuart A. Ralph
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail:
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16
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Mehnert AK, Simon CS, Guizetti J. Immunofluorescence staining protocol for STED nanoscopy of Plasmodium-infected red blood cells. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2019; 229:47-52. [PMID: 30831155 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2019.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Revised: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Immunofluorescence staining is the key technique for visualizing organization of endogenous cellular structures in single cells. Labeling and imaging of blood stage Plasmodium falciparum has always been challenging since it is a small intracellular parasite. A widely-used standard for parasite immunofluorescence is fixation in suspension with addition of minute amounts of glutaraldehyde to the paraformaldehyde-based solution. While this maintains red blood cell integrity, it has been postulated that antigenicity of the parasite proteins was, if at all, only slightly reduced. Here we show the deleterious effect that even these small quantities of glutaraldehyde can have on immunofluorescence staining quality and present an alternative cell seeding protocol that allows fixation with only paraformaldehyde. The highly improved signal intensity and staining efficiency enabled us to carry out RescueSTED nanoscopy on microtubules and nuclear pores and describe their organization in greater detail throughout the blood stage cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Kathrin Mehnert
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Caroline Sophie Simon
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julien Guizetti
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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17
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PfVPS45 Is Required for Host Cell Cytosol Uptake by Malaria Blood Stage Parasites. Cell Host Microbe 2019; 25:166-173.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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18
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Dilanian RA, Streltsov V, Coughlan HD, Quiney HM, Martin AV, Klonis N, Dogovski C, Boutet S, Messerschmidt M, Williams GJ, Williams S, Phillips NW, Nugent KA, Tilley L, Abbey B. Nanocrystallography measurements of early stage synthetic malaria pigment. J Appl Crystallogr 2017; 50:1533-1540. [PMID: 29021736 PMCID: PMC5627683 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576717012663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent availability of extremely intense, femtosecond X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) sources has spurred the development of serial femtosecond nanocrystallography (SFX). Here, SFX is used to analyze nanoscale crystals of β-hematin, the synthetic form of hemozoin which is a waste by-product of the malaria parasite. This analysis reveals significant differences in β-hematin data collected during SFX and synchrotron crystallography experiments. To interpret these differences two possibilities are considered: structural differences between the nanocrystal and larger crystalline forms of β-hematin, and radiation damage. Simulation studies show that structural inhomogeneity appears at present to provide a better fit to the experimental data. If confirmed, these observations will have implications for designing compounds that inhibit hemozoin formation and suggest that, for some systems at least, additional information may be gained by comparing structures obtained from nanocrystals and macroscopic crystals of the same molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben A. Dilanian
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | | | - Hannah D. Coughlan
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Harry M. Quiney
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Andrew V. Martin
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Nectarios Klonis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Con Dogovski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Sébastien Boutet
- LiNAC Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | | | - Garth J. Williams
- Brookhaven National Laboratory, PO Box 5000, Upton, NY 11973-5000, USA
| | - Sophie Williams
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Nicholas W. Phillips
- CSIRO, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Keith A. Nugent
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Leann Tilley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Brian Abbey
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
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19
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Khosh-Naucke M, Becker J, Mesén-Ramírez P, Kiani P, Birnbaum J, Fröhlke U, Jonscher E, Schlüter H, Spielmann T. Identification of novel parasitophorous vacuole proteins in P. falciparum parasites using BioID. Int J Med Microbiol 2017; 308:13-24. [PMID: 28784333 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2017.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria blood stage parasites develop within red blood cells where they are contained in a vacuolar compartment known as the parasitophorous vacuole (PV). This compartment holds a key role in the interaction of the parasite with its host cell. However, the proteome of this compartment has so far not been comprehensively analysed. Here we used BioID in asexual blood stages of the most virulent human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum to identify new proteins of the PV. The resulting proteome contained many of the already known PV proteins and validation by GFP-knock-in of 10 previously in P. falciparum uncharacterised hits revealed 5 new PV proteins and two with a partial PV localisation. This included proteins peripherally attached to the inner face of the PV membrane as well as proteins anchored in the parasite plasma membrane that protrude into the PV. Using selectable targeted gene disruption we generated mutants for 2 of the 10 candidates. In contrast we could not select parasites with disruptions for another 3 candidates, strongly suggesting that they are important for parasite growth. Interestingly, one of these included the orthologue of UIS2, a protein previously proposed to regulate protein translation in the parasite cytoplasm but here shown to be an essential PV protein. This work extends the number of known PV proteins and provides a starting point for further functional analyses of this compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Khosh-Naucke
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johanna Becker
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Parnian Kiani
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometric Proteomics, Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jakob Birnbaum
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Fröhlke
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ernst Jonscher
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hartmut Schlüter
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometric Proteomics, Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
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20
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Birnbaum J, Flemming S, Reichard N, Soares AB, Mesén-Ramírez P, Jonscher E, Bergmann B, Spielmann T. A genetic system to study Plasmodium falciparum protein function. Nat Methods 2017; 14:450-456. [DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.4223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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21
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The machinery underlying malaria parasite virulence is conserved between rodent and human malaria parasites. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11659. [PMID: 27225796 PMCID: PMC4894950 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Sequestration of red blood cells infected with the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in organs such as the brain is considered important for pathogenicity. A similar phenomenon has been observed in mouse models of malaria, using the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei, but it is unclear whether the P. falciparum proteins known to be involved in this process are conserved in the rodent parasite. Here we identify the P. berghei orthologues of two such key factors of P. falciparum, SBP1 and MAHRP1. Red blood cells infected with P. berghei parasites lacking SBP1 or MAHRP1a fail to bind the endothelial receptor CD36 and show reduced sequestration and virulence in mice. Complementation of the mutant P. berghei parasites with the respective P. falciparum SBP1 and MAHRP1 orthologues restores sequestration and virulence. These findings reveal evolutionary conservation of the machinery underlying sequestration of divergent malaria parasites and support the notion that the P. berghei rodent model is an adequate tool for research on malaria virulence. Proteins SBP1 and MAHRP1 of the human malaria parasite are required for sequestration of infected red blood cells in major organs. Here, De Niz et al. identify homologous proteins in the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei, showing that they play similar roles and supporting the usefulness of malaria mouse models.
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22
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Mesén-Ramírez P, Reinsch F, Blancke Soares A, Bergmann B, Ullrich AK, Tenzer S, Spielmann T. Stable Translocation Intermediates Jam Global Protein Export in Plasmodium falciparum Parasites and Link the PTEX Component EXP2 with Translocation Activity. PLoS Pathog 2016; 12:e1005618. [PMID: 27168322 PMCID: PMC4864081 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein export is central for the survival and virulence of intracellular P. falciparum blood stage parasites. To reach the host cell, exported proteins cross the parasite plasma membrane (PPM) and the parasite-enclosing parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM), a process that requires unfolding, suggestive of protein translocation. Components of a proposed translocon at the PVM termed PTEX are essential in this phase of export but translocation activity has not been shown for the complex and questions have been raised about its proposed membrane pore component EXP2 for which no functional data is available in P. falciparum. It is also unclear how PTEX mediates trafficking of both, soluble as well as transmembrane proteins. Taking advantage of conditionally foldable domains, we here dissected the translocation events in the parasite periphery, showing that two successive translocation steps are needed for the export of transmembrane proteins, one at the PPM and one at the PVM. Our data provide evidence that, depending on the length of the C-terminus of the exported substrate, these steps occur by transient interaction of the PPM and PVM translocon, similar to the situation for protein transport across the mitochondrial membranes. Remarkably, we obtained constructs of exported proteins that remained arrested in the process of being translocated across the PVM. This clogged the translocation pore, prevented the export of all types of exported proteins and, as a result, inhibited parasite growth. The substrates stuck in translocation were found in a complex with the proposed PTEX membrane pore component EXP2, suggesting a role of this protein in translocation. These data for the first time provide evidence for EXP2 to be part of a translocating entity, suggesting that PTEX has translocation activity and provide a mechanistic framework for the transport of soluble as well as transmembrane proteins from the parasite boundary into the host cell. P. falciparum parasites, the deadliest agent of human malaria, develop within erythrocytes where they are surrounded by a parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM). To ensure intracellular survival, the parasite exports a large repertoire of proteins into the host cell. Exported proteins require unfolding for trafficking across the membrane boundaries separating the parasite from the erythrocyte, typical for transport by protein translocating membrane channels. Here, we dissected the sequence of translocation events at the parasite boundary using substrates that can be conditionally arrested at translocation steps. We for the first time obtained exported proteins arrested in the process of being translocated across the PVM. This jammed the translocons for all other types of exported proteins and inhibited parasite growth. The constructs stuck in translocation were in a complex with EXP2, a component of a complex known to be essential for protein export that is termed PTEX. Our work links the need for unfolding and the function of this complex in export, giving experimental evidence that PTEX indeed is a translocon. Conditionally unfoldable domains have been instrumental in unravelling transport processes across membranes and here resolve the transport steps the different kinds of exported proteins require to reach the P. falciparum-infected host cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ferdinand Reinsch
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology section, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Bärbel Bergmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ann-Katrin Ullrich
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Tenzer
- Institute for Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology section, Hamburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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23
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Absalon S, Robbins JA, Dvorin JD. An essential malaria protein defines the architecture of blood-stage and transmission-stage parasites. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11449. [PMID: 27121004 PMCID: PMC4853479 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Blood-stage replication of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum occurs via schizogony, wherein daughter parasites are formed by a specialized cytokinesis known as segmentation. Here we identify a parasite protein, which we name P. falciparum Merozoite Organizing Protein (PfMOP), as essential for cytokinesis of blood-stage parasites. We show that, following PfMOP knockdown, parasites undergo incomplete segmentation resulting in a residual agglomerate of partially divided cells. While organelles develop normally, the structural scaffold of daughter parasites, the inner membrane complex (IMC), fails to form in this agglomerate causing flawed segmentation. In PfMOP-deficient gametocytes, the IMC formation defect causes maturation arrest with aberrant morphology and death. Our results provide insight into the mechanisms of replication and maturation of malaria parasites. Blood-stage malaria parasites replicate through a specialised type of cell division known as schizogony. Here, Absalon et al. identify a parasite protein that is essential during schizogony for cytokinesis and formation of the inner membrane complex, the structural scaffold of daughter parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Absalon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan A Robbins
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Dvorin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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24
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Xie SC, Dogovski C, Hanssen E, Chiu F, Yang T, Crespo MP, Stafford C, Batinovic S, Teguh S, Charman S, Klonis N, Tilley L. Haemoglobin degradation underpins the sensitivity of early ring stage Plasmodium falciparum to artemisinins. J Cell Sci 2015; 129:406-16. [PMID: 26675237 PMCID: PMC4732288 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.178830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Current first-line artemisinin antimalarials are threatened by the emergence of resistant Plasmodium falciparum. Decreased sensitivity is evident in the initial (early ring) stage of intraerythrocytic development, meaning that it is crucial to understand the action of artemisinins at this stage. Here, we examined the roles of iron (Fe) ions and haem in artemisinin activation in early rings using Fe ion chelators and a specific haemoglobinase inhibitor (E64d). Quantitative modelling of the antagonism accounted for its complex dependence on the chemical features of the artemisinins and on the drug exposure time, and showed that almost all artemisinin activity in early rings (>80%) is due to haem-mediated activation. The surprising implication that haemoglobin uptake and digestion is active in early rings is supported by identification of active haemoglobinases (falcipains) at this stage. Genetic down-modulation of the expression of the two main cysteine protease haemoglobinases, falcipains 2 and 3, renders early ring stage parasites resistant to artemisinins. This confirms the important role of haemoglobin-degrading falcipains in artemisinin activation, and shows that changes in the rate of artemisinin activation could mediate high-level artemisinin resistance. Summary: Down-modulation of the expression of haemoglobin-degrading falcipains in P. falciparum renders early ring stage parasites resistant to artemisinins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley C Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Con Dogovski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Eric Hanssen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia Advanced Microscopy Facility, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Francis Chiu
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Tuo Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Maria P Crespo
- Department of Microbiology, University of Valle, 13 #100-00, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia Department of Biomedical Sciences, Santiago de Cali University, 25, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
| | - Che Stafford
- Walter+Eliza Hall Institute, Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Steven Batinovic
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Silvia Teguh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Susan Charman
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Nectarios Klonis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Leann Tilley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
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25
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Schulze J, Kwiatkowski M, Borner J, Schlüter H, Bruchhaus I, Burmester T, Spielmann T, Pick C. The Plasmodium falciparum exportome contains non-canonical PEXEL/HT proteins. Mol Microbiol 2015; 97:301-14. [PMID: 25850860 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The pathogenicity of Plasmodium falciparum is partly due to parasite-induced host cell modifications. These modifications are facilitated by exported P. falciparum proteins, collectively referred to as the exportome. Export of several hundred proteins is mediated by the PEXEL/HT, a protease cleavage site. The PEXEL/HT is usually comprised of five amino acids, of which R at position 1, L at position 3 and E, D or Q at position 5 are conserved and important for export. Non-canonical PEXEL/HTs with K or H at position 1 and/or I at position 3 are presently considered non-functional. Here, we show that non-canonical PEXEL/HT proteins are overrepresented in P. falciparum and other Plasmodium species. Furthermore, we show that non-canonical PEXEL/HTs can be cleaved and can promote export in both a REX3 and a GBP reporter, but not in a KAHRP reporter, indicating that non-canonical PEXEL/HTs are functional in concert with a supportive sequence environment. We then selected P. falciparum proteins with a non-canonical PEXEL/HT and show that some of these proteins are exported and that their export depends on non-canonical PEXEL/HTs. We conclude that PEXEL/HT plasticity is higher than appreciated and that non-canonical PEXEL/HT proteins cannot categorically be excluded from Plasmodium exportome predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Schulze
- University of Hamburg, Institute of Zoology, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, D-20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marcel Kwiatkowski
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Janus Borner
- University of Hamburg, Institute of Zoology, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, D-20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hartmut Schlüter
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Iris Bruchhaus
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 74, D-20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Burmester
- University of Hamburg, Institute of Zoology, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, D-20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 74, D-20359, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Pick
- University of Hamburg, Institute of Zoology, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, D-20146, Hamburg, Germany
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26
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Identity of a Plasmodium lactate/H(+) symporter structurally unrelated to human transporters. Nat Commun 2015; 6:6284. [PMID: 25669138 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2013] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of a high glycolytic flow rate is critical for the rapid growth and virulence of malarial parasites. The parasites release two moles of lactic acid per mole of glucose as the anaerobic end product. However, the molecular identity of the Plasmodium lactate transporter is unknown. Here we show that a member of the microbial formate-nitrite transporter family, PfFNT, acts as a lactate/proton symporter in Plasmodium falciparum. Besides L-lactate, PfFNT transports physiologically relevant D-lactate, as well as pyruvate, acetate and formate, and is inhibited by the antiplasmodial compounds phloretin, furosemide and cinnamate derivatives, but not by p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate (pCMBS). Our data on PfFNT monocarboxylate transport are consistent with those obtained with living parasites. Moreover, PfFNT is the only transporter of the plasmodial glycolytic pathway for which structure information is available from crystals of homologous proteins, rendering it amenable to further evaluation as a novel antimalarial drug target.
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27
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Beck JR, Muralidharan V, Oksman A, Goldberg DE. PTEX component HSP101 mediates export of diverse malaria effectors into host erythrocytes. Nature 2014; 511:592-5. [PMID: 25043010 PMCID: PMC4130291 DOI: 10.1038/nature13574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Josh R Beck
- 1] Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA [2]
| | - Vasant Muralidharan
- 1] Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA [2] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA [3] [4] Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Anna Oksman
- 1] Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA [2] Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA [3] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Daniel E Goldberg
- 1] Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA [2] Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA [3] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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28
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Oberli A, Slater LM, Cutts E, Brand F, Mundwiler-Pachlatko E, Rusch S, Masik MFG, Erat MC, Beck HP, Vakonakis I. A Plasmodium falciparum PHIST protein binds the virulence factor PfEMP1 and comigrates to knobs on the host cell surface. FASEB J 2014; 28:4420-33. [PMID: 24983468 PMCID: PMC4202109 DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-256057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Uniquely among malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (iRBCs) develop membrane protrusions, known as knobs, where the parasite adhesion receptor P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) clusters. Knob formation and the associated iRBC adherence to host endothelium are directly linked to the severity of malaria and are functional manifestations of protein export from the parasite to the iRBC. A family of exported proteins featuring Plasmodium helical interspersed subtelomeric (PHIST) domains has attracted attention, with members being implicated in host-parasite protein interactions and differentially regulated in severe disease and among parasite isolates. Here, we show that PHIST member PFE1605w binds the PfEMP1 intracellular segment directly with Kd = 5 ± 0.6 μM, comigrates with PfEMP1 during export, and locates in knobs. PHIST variants that do not locate in knobs (MAL8P1.4) or bind PfEMP1 30 times more weakly (PFI1780w) used as controls did not display the same pattern. We resolved the first crystallographic structure of a PHIST protein and derived a partial model of the PHIST-PfEMP1 interaction from nuclear magnetic resonance. We propose that PFE1605w reinforces the PfEMP1-cytoskeletal connection in knobs and discuss the possible role of PHIST proteins as interaction hubs in the parasite exportome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Oberli
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; and
| | - Leanne M Slater
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Erin Cutts
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Françoise Brand
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; and
| | - Esther Mundwiler-Pachlatko
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; and
| | - Sebastian Rusch
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; and
| | | | - Michèle C Erat
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Hans-Peter Beck
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; and
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29
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Heiber A, Kruse F, Pick C, Grüring C, Flemming S, Oberli A, Schoeler H, Retzlaff S, Mesén-Ramírez P, Hiss JA, Kadekoppala M, Hecht L, Holder AA, Gilberger TW, Spielmann T. Identification of new PNEPs indicates a substantial non-PEXEL exportome and underpins common features in Plasmodium falciparum protein export. PLoS Pathog 2013; 9:e1003546. [PMID: 23950716 PMCID: PMC3738491 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria blood stage parasites export a large number of proteins into their host erythrocyte to change it from a container of predominantly hemoglobin optimized for the transport of oxygen into a niche for parasite propagation. To understand this process, it is crucial to know which parasite proteins are exported into the host cell. This has been aided by the PEXEL/HT sequence, a five-residue motif found in many exported proteins, leading to the prediction of the exportome. However, several PEXEL/HT negative exported proteins (PNEPs) indicate that this exportome is incomplete and it remains unknown if and how many further PNEPs exist. Here we report the identification of new PNEPs in the most virulent malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. This includes proteins with a domain structure deviating from previously known PNEPs and indicates that PNEPs are not a rare exception. Unexpectedly, this included members of the MSP-7 related protein (MSRP) family, suggesting unanticipated functions of MSRPs. Analyzing regions mediating export of selected new PNEPs, we show that the first 20 amino acids of PNEPs without a classical N-terminal signal peptide are sufficient to promote export of a reporter, confirming the concept that this is a shared property of all PNEPs of this type. Moreover, we took advantage of newly found soluble PNEPs to show that this type of exported protein requires unfolding to move from the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) into the host cell. This indicates that soluble PNEPs, like PEXEL/HT proteins, are exported by translocation across the PV membrane (PVM), highlighting protein translocation in the parasite periphery as a general means in protein export of malaria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arlett Heiber
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Florian Kruse
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Pick
- Institute of Zoology and Zoological Museum, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christof Grüring
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sven Flemming
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Oberli
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hanno Schoeler
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Silke Retzlaff
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan A. Hiss
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Madhusudan Kadekoppala
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London United Kingdom
| | - Leonie Hecht
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London United Kingdom
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research and Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Hamburg, Germany
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Klonis N, Creek DJ, Tilley L. Iron and heme metabolism in Plasmodium falciparum and the mechanism of action of artemisinins. Curr Opin Microbiol 2013; 16:722-7. [PMID: 23932203 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2013.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2013] [Accepted: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
During the asexual blood stage of its lifecycle, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum grows and multiplies in the hemoglobin-rich environment of the human erythrocyte. Although the parasite has evolved unique strategies to survive in this environment, its interaction with iron represents an Achilles' heel that is exploited by many antimalarial drugs. Recent work has shed new light on how the parasite deals with hemoglobin breakdown products and on the role of iron as a mediator of the action of the antimalarial drug, artemisinin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nectarios Klonis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science, 30 Flemington Road, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
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31
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McMillan PJ, Millet C, Batinovic S, Maiorca M, Hanssen E, Kenny S, Muhle RA, Melcher M, Fidock DA, Smith JD, Dixon MWA, Tilley L. Spatial and temporal mapping of the PfEMP1 export pathway in Plasmodium falciparum. Cell Microbiol 2013; 15:1401-18. [PMID: 23421990 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2012] [Revised: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 02/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, modifies the red blood cells (RBCs) that it infects by exporting proteins to the host cell. One key virulence protein, P. falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein-1 (PfEMP1), is trafficked to the surface of the infected RBC, where it mediates adhesion to the vascular endothelium. We have investigated the organization and development of the exomembrane system that is used for PfEMP1 trafficking. Maurer's cleft cisternae are formed early after invasion and proteins are delivered to these (initially mobile) structures in a temporally staggered and spatially segregated manner. Membrane-Associated Histidine-Rich Protein-2 (MAHRP2)-containing tether-like structures are generated as early as 4 h post invasion and become attached to Maurer's clefts. The tether/Maurer's cleft complex docks onto the RBC membrane at ~20 h post invasion via a process that is not affected by cytochalasin D treatment. We have examined the trafficking of a GFP chimera of PfEMP1 expressed in transfected parasites. PfEMP1B-GFP accumulates near the parasite surface, within membranous structures exhibiting a defined ultrastructure, before being transferred to pre-formed mobile Maurer's clefts. Endogenous PfEMP1 and PfEMP1B-GFP are associated with Electron-Dense Vesicles that may be responsible for trafficking PfEMP1 from the Maurer's clefts to the RBC membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J McMillan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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32
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Uncovering Common Principles in Protein Export of Malaria Parasites. Cell Host Microbe 2012; 12:717-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2012.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2012] [Revised: 08/16/2012] [Accepted: 09/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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