1
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Guttery DS, Zeeshan M, Holder AA, Tewari R. The molecular mechanisms driving Plasmodium cell division. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:593-602. [PMID: 38563493 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Malaria, a vector borne disease, is a major global health and socioeconomic problem caused by the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Plasmodium. The parasite alternates between mosquito vector and vertebrate host, with meiosis in the mosquito and proliferative mitotic cell division in both hosts. In the canonical eukaryotic model, cell division is either by open or closed mitosis and karyokinesis is followed by cytokinesis; whereas in Plasmodium closed mitosis is not directly accompanied by concomitant cell division. Key molecular players and regulatory mechanisms of this process have been identified, but the pivotal role of certain protein complexes and the post-translational modifications that modulate their actions are still to be deciphered. Here, we discuss recent evidence for the function of known proteins in Plasmodium cell division and processes that are potential novel targets for therapeutic intervention. We also identify key questions to open new and exciting research to understand divergent Plasmodium cell division.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Guttery
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, U.K
| | - Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, U.K
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K
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2
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Subudhi AK, Green JL, Satyam R, Salunke RP, Lenz T, Shuaib M, Isaioglou I, Abel S, Gupta M, Esau L, Mourier T, Nugmanova R, Mfarrej S, Shivapurkar R, Stead Z, Rached FB, Ostwal Y, Sougrat R, Dada A, Kadamany AF, Fischle W, Merzaban J, Knuepfer E, Ferguson DJP, Gupta I, Le Roch KG, Holder AA, Pain A. DNA-binding protein PfAP2-P regulates parasite pathogenesis during malaria parasite blood stages. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:2154-2169. [PMID: 37884813 PMCID: PMC10627835 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01497-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Malaria-associated pathogenesis such as parasite invasion, egress, host cell remodelling and antigenic variation requires concerted action by many proteins, but the molecular regulation is poorly understood. Here we have characterized an essential Plasmodium-specific Apicomplexan AP2 transcription factor in Plasmodium falciparum (PfAP2-P; pathogenesis) during the blood-stage development with two peaks of expression. An inducible knockout of gene function showed that PfAP2-P is essential for trophozoite development, and critical for var gene regulation, merozoite development and parasite egress. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data collected at timepoints matching the two peaks of pfap2-p expression demonstrate PfAP2-P binding to promoters of genes controlling trophozoite development, host cell remodelling, antigenic variation and pathogenicity. Single-cell RNA sequencing and fluorescence-activated cell sorting revealed de-repression of most var genes in Δpfap2-p parasites. Δpfap2-p parasites also overexpress early gametocyte marker genes, indicating a regulatory role in sexual stage conversion. We conclude that PfAP2-P is an essential upstream transcriptional regulator at two distinct stages of the intra-erythrocytic development cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar Subudhi
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Judith L Green
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Rohit Satyam
- Department of Computer Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Rahul P Salunke
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Todd Lenz
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Muhammad Shuaib
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ioannis Isaioglou
- Cell Migration and Signaling Laboratory, Bioscience Program, BESE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Mohit Gupta
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Luke Esau
- KAUST Core Labs, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Tobias Mourier
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Raushan Nugmanova
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Sara Mfarrej
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Rupali Shivapurkar
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Zenaida Stead
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Fathia Ben Rached
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Yogesh Ostwal
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biochemistry, Bioscience Program, BESE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Rachid Sougrat
- KAUST Core Labs, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf Dada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, Al Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Fuaad Kadamany
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Wolfgang Fischle
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biochemistry, Bioscience Program, BESE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Jasmeen Merzaban
- Cell Migration and Signaling Laboratory, Bioscience Program, BESE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Molecular and Cellular Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK
| | - David J P Ferguson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Ishaan Gupta
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
| | - Arnab Pain
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
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3
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Guttery DS, Zeeshan M, Holder AA, Tromer EC, Tewari R. Meiosis in Plasmodium: how does it work? Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:812-821. [PMID: 37541799 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Meiosis is sexual cell division, a process in eukaryotes whereby haploid gametes are produced. Compared to canonical model eukaryotes, meiosis in apicomplexan parasites appears to diverge from the process with respect to the molecular mechanisms involved; the biology of Plasmodium meiosis, and its regulation by means of post-translational modification, are largely unexplored. Here, we discuss the impact of technological advances in cell biology, evolutionary bioinformatics, and genome-wide functional studies on our understanding of meiosis in the Apicomplexa. These parasites, including Plasmodium falciparum, Toxoplasma gondii, and Eimeria spp., have significant socioeconomic impact on human and animal health. Understanding this key stage during the parasite's life cycle may well reveal attractive targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Guttery
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
| | - Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Eelco C Tromer
- Cell Biochemistry, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
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4
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Zeeshan M, Rea E, Abel S, Vukušić K, Markus R, Brady D, Eze A, Rashpa R, Balestra AC, Bottrill AR, Brochet M, Guttery DS, Tolić IM, Holder AA, Le Roch KG, Tromer EC, Tewari R. Plasmodium ARK2 and EB1 drive unconventional spindle dynamics, during chromosome segregation in sexual transmission stages. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5652. [PMID: 37704606 PMCID: PMC10499817 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41395-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The Aurora family of kinases orchestrates chromosome segregation and cytokinesis during cell division, with precise spatiotemporal regulation of its catalytic activities by distinct protein scaffolds. Plasmodium spp., the causative agents of malaria, are unicellular eukaryotes with three unique and highly divergent aurora-related kinases (ARK1-3) that are essential for asexual cellular proliferation but lack most canonical scaffolds/activators. Here we investigate the role of ARK2 during sexual proliferation of the rodent malaria Plasmodium berghei, using a combination of super-resolution microscopy, mass spectrometry, and live-cell fluorescence imaging. We find that ARK2 is primarily located at spindle microtubules in the vicinity of kinetochores during both mitosis and meiosis. Interactomic and co-localisation studies reveal several putative ARK2-associated interactors including the microtubule-interacting protein EB1, together with MISFIT and Myosin-K, but no conserved eukaryotic scaffold proteins. Gene function studies indicate that ARK2 and EB1 are complementary in driving endomitotic division and thereby parasite transmission through the mosquito. This discovery underlines the flexibility of molecular networks to rewire and drive unconventional mechanisms of chromosome segregation in the malaria parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Edward Rea
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Kruno Vukušić
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Robert Markus
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Antonius Eze
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria
| | - Ravish Rashpa
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Andrew R Bottrill
- School of Life Sciences, Gibbet Hill Campus, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David S Guttery
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Iva M Tolić
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Eelco C Tromer
- Cell Biochemistry, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
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5
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Subudhi AK, Green JL, Satyam R, Lenz T, Salunke RP, Shuaib M, Isaioglou I, Abel S, Gupta M, Esau L, Mourier T, Nugmanova R, Mfarrej S, Sivapurkar R, Stead Z, Rached FB, Otswal Y, Sougrat R, Dada A, Kadamany AF, Fischle W, Merzaban J, Knuepfer E, Ferguson DJP, Gupta I, Le Roch KG, Holder AA, Pain A. PfAP2-MRP DNA-binding protein is a master regulator of parasite pathogenesis during malaria parasite blood stages. bioRxiv 2023:2023.05.23.541898. [PMID: 37293082 PMCID: PMC10245809 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.23.541898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Malaria pathogenicity results from the parasite's ability to invade, multiply within and then egress from the host red blood cell (RBC). Infected RBCs are remodeled, expressing antigenic variant proteins (such as PfEMP1, coded by the var gene family) for immune evasion and survival. These processes require the concerted actions of many proteins, but the molecular regulation is poorly understood. We have characterized an essential Plasmodium specific Apicomplexan AP2 (ApiAP2) transcription factor in Plasmodium falciparum (PfAP2-MRP; Master Regulator of Pathogenesis) during the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC). An inducible gene knockout approach showed that PfAP2-MRP is essential for development during the trophozoite stage, and critical for var gene regulation, merozoite development and parasite egress. ChIP-seq experiments performed at 16 hour post invasion (h.p.i.) and 40 h.p.i. matching the two peaks of PfAP2-MRP expression, demonstrate binding of PfAP2-MRP to the promoters of genes controlling trophozoite development and host cell remodeling at 16 h.p.i. and antigenic variation and pathogenicity at 40 h.p.i. Using single-cell RNA-seq and fluorescence-activated cell sorting, we show de-repression of most var genes in Δpfap2-mrp parasites that express multiple PfEMP1 proteins on the surface of infected RBCs. In addition, the Δpfap2-mrp parasites overexpress several early gametocyte marker genes at both 16 and 40 h.p.i., indicating a regulatory role in the sexual stage conversion. Using the Chromosomes Conformation Capture experiment (Hi-C), we demonstrate that deletion of PfAP2-MRP results in significant reduction of both intra-chromosomal and inter-chromosomal interactions in heterochromatin clusters. We conclude that PfAP2-MRP is a vital upstream transcriptional regulator controlling essential processes in two distinct developmental stages during the IDC that include parasite growth, chromatin structure and var gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar Subudhi
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Judith L Green
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Rohit Satyam
- Department of Computer Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, Okhla, New Delhi, Delhi 110025, India
| | - Todd Lenz
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Rahul P Salunke
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad Shuaib
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ioannis Isaioglou
- Cell Migration and Signaling Laboratory, Bioscience Program, BESE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Mohit Gupta
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Luke Esau
- KAUST Core Labs, KAUST, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Tobias Mourier
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Raushan Nugmanova
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Sara Mfarrej
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Rupali Sivapurkar
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Zenaida Stead
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Fathia Ben Rached
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Yogesh Otswal
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biochemistry, Bioscience Program, BESE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Rachid Sougrat
- KAUST Core Labs, KAUST, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf Dada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Fuaad Kadamany
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Wolfgang Fischle
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biochemistry, Bioscience Program, BESE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Jasmeen Merzaban
- Cell Migration and Signaling Laboratory, Bioscience Program, BESE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - David J P Ferguson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX1 2JD, United Kingdom
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ishaan Gupta
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Arnab Pain
- Pathogen Genomics Group, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- International Institute for Zoonosis Control; Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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6
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Zeeshan M, Rea E, Abel S, Vukušić K, Markus R, Brady D, Eze A, Rashpa R, Balestra AC, Bottrill AR, Brochet M, Guttery DS, Tolić IM, Holder AA, Le Roch KG, Tromer EC, Tewari R. Plasmodium ARK2-EB1 axis drives the unconventional spindle dynamics, scaffold formation and chromosome segregation of sexual transmission stages. Res Sq 2023:rs.3.rs-2539372. [PMID: 36798191 PMCID: PMC9934748 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2539372/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Mechanisms of cell division are remarkably diverse, suggesting the underlying molecular networks among eukaryotes differ extensively. The Aurora family of kinases orchestrates the process of chromosome segregation and cytokinesis during cell division through precise spatiotemporal regulation of their catalytic activities by distinct scaffolds. Plasmodium spp., the causative agents of malaria, are unicellular eukaryotes that have three divergent aurora-related kinases (ARKs) and lack most canonical scaffolds/activators. The parasite uses unconventional modes of chromosome segregation during endomitosis and meiosis in sexual transmission stages within mosquito host. This includes a rapid threefold genome replication from 1N to 8N with successive cycles of closed mitosis, spindle formation and chromosome segregation within eight minutes (termed male gametogony). Kinome studies had previously suggested likely essential functions for all three Plasmodium ARKs during asexual mitotic cycles; however, little is known about their location, function, or their scaffolding molecules during unconventional sexual proliferative stages. Using a combination of super-resolution microscopy, mass spectrometry, omics and live-cell fluorescence imaging, we set out to investigate the contribution of the atypical Aurora paralog ARK2 to proliferative sexual stages using rodent malaria model Plasmodium berghei. We find that ARK2 primarily localises to the spindle apparatus associated with kinetochores during both mitosis and meiosis. Interactomics and co-localisation studies reveal a unique ARK2 scaffold at the spindle including the microtubule plus end-binding protein EB1 and lacking some other conserved molecules. Gene function studies indicate complementary functions of ARK2 and EB1 in driving endomitotic divisions and thereby parasite transmission. Our discovery of a novel Aurora spindle scaffold underlines the emerging flexibility of molecular networks to rewire and drive unconventional mechanisms of chromosome segregation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Edward Rea
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, USA
| | - Kruno Vukušić
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Robert Markus
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Antonius Eze
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ravish Rashpa
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Andrew R. Bottrill
- School of Life Sciences, Gibbet Hill Campus, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David S. Guttery
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Iva M. Tolić
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Karine G. Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, USA
| | - Eelco C. Tromer
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Cell Biochemistry, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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7
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Zeeshan M, Rea E, Abel S, Vukušić K, Markus R, Brady D, Eze A, Raspa R, Balestra A, Bottrill AR, Brochet M, Guttery DS, Tolić IM, Holder AA, Roch KGL, Tromer EC, Tewari R. Plasmodium ARK2-EB1 axis drives the unconventional spindle dynamics, scaffold formation and chromosome segregation of sexual transmission stages. bioRxiv 2023:2023.01.29.526106. [PMID: 36778504 PMCID: PMC9915484 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.29.526106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Mechanisms of cell division are remarkably diverse, suggesting the underlying molecular networks among eukaryotes differ extensively. The Aurora family of kinases orchestrates the process of chromosome segregation and cytokinesis during cell division through precise spatiotemporal regulation of their catalytic activities by distinct scaffolds. Plasmodium spp., the causative agents of malaria, are unicellular eukaryotes that have three divergent aurora-related kinases (ARKs) and lack most canonical scaffolds/activators. The parasite uses unconventional modes of chromosome segregation during endomitosis and meiosis in sexual transmission stages within mosquito host. This includes a rapid threefold genome replication from 1N to 8N with successive cycles of closed mitosis, spindle formation and chromosome segregation within eight minutes (termed male gametogony). Kinome studies had previously suggested likely essential functions for all three Plasmodium ARKs during asexual mitotic cycles; however, little is known about their location, function, or their scaffolding molecules during unconventional sexual proliferative stages. Using a combination of super-resolution microscopy, mass spectrometry, and live-cell fluorescence imaging, we set out to investigate the role of the atypical Aurora paralog ARK2 to proliferative sexual stages using rodent malaria model Plasmodium berghei . We find that ARK2 primarily localises to the spindle apparatus in the vicinity of kinetochores during both mitosis and meiosis. Interactomics and co-localisation studies reveal a unique ARK2 scaffold at the spindle including the microtubule plus end-binding protein EB1, lacking conserved Aurora scaffold proteins. Gene function studies indicate complementary functions of ARK2 and EB1 in driving endomitotic divisions and thereby parasite transmission. Our discovery of a novel Aurora kinase spindle scaffold underlines the emerging flexibility of molecular networks to rewire and drive unconventional mechanisms of chromosome segregation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium .
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8
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Kampoun T, Srichairatanakool S, Prommana P, Shaw PJ, Green JL, Knuepfer E, Holder AA, Uthaipibull C. Apicoplast ribosomal protein S10-V127M enhances artemisinin resistance of a Kelch13 transgenic Plasmodium falciparum. Malar J 2022; 21:302. [PMID: 36303209 PMCID: PMC9615251 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04330-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to artemisinin-based (ART) drugs, the front-line drug family used in artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for treatment of malaria, is of great concern. Mutations in the kelch13 (k13) gene (for example, those resulting in the Cys580Tyr [C580Y] variant) were identified as genetic markers for ART-resistant parasites, which suggests they are associated with resistance mechanisms. However, not all resistant parasites contain a k13 mutation, and clearly greater understanding of resistance mechanisms is required. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) found single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with ART-resistance in fd (ferredoxin), arps10 (apicoplast ribosomal protein S10), mdr2 (multidrug resistance protein 2), and crt (chloroquine resistance transporter), in addition to k13 gene mutations, suggesting that these alleles contribute to the resistance phenotype. The importance of the FD and ARPS10 variants in ART resistance was then studied since both proteins likely function in the apicoplast, which is a location distinct from that of K13. Methods The reported mutations were introduced, together with a mutation to produce the k13-C580Y variant into the ART-sensitive 3D7 parasite line and the effect on ART-susceptibility using the 0−3 h ring survival assay (RSA0−3 h) was investigated. Results and conclusion Introducing both fd-D193Y and arps10-V127M into a k13-C580Y-containing parasite, but not a wild-type k13 parasite, increased survival of the parasite in the RSA0−3 h. The results suggest epistasis of arps10 and k13, with arps10-V127M a modifier of ART susceptibility in different k13 allele backgrounds. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-022-04330-3.
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9
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Abstract
The malaria parasite life cycle alternates between two hosts: a vertebrate and the female Anopheles mosquito vector. Cell division, proliferation, and invasion are essential for parasite development, transmission, and survival. Most research has focused on Plasmodium development in the vertebrate, which causes disease; however, knowledge of malaria parasite development in the mosquito (the sexual and transmission stages) is now rapidly accumulating, gathered largely through investigation of the rodent malaria model, with Plasmodium berghei. In this review, we discuss the seminal genome-wide screens that have uncovered key regulators of cell proliferation, invasion, and transmission during Plasmodium sexual development. Our focus is on the roles of transcription factors, reversible protein phosphorylation, and molecular motors. We also emphasize the still-unanswered important questions around key pathways in cell division during the vector transmission stages and how they may be targeted in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Guttery
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; ,
- Leicester Cancer Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom;
| | - Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; ,
| | - David J P Ferguson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom;
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; ,
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10
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Zeeshan M, Brady D, Markus R, Vaughan S, Ferguson D, Holder AA, Tewari R. Plasmodium SAS4: basal body component of male cell which is dispensable for parasite transmission. Life Sci Alliance 2022; 5:e202101329. [PMID: 35550346 PMCID: PMC9098390 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202101329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The centriole/basal body (CBB) is an evolutionarily conserved organelle acting as a microtubule organising centre (MTOC) to nucleate cilia, flagella, and the centrosome. SAS4/CPAP is a conserved component associated with BB biogenesis in many model flagellated cells. Plasmodium, a divergent unicellular eukaryote and causative agent of malaria, displays an atypical, closed mitosis with an MTOC (or centriolar plaque), reminiscent of an acentriolar MTOC, embedded in the nuclear membrane. Mitosis during male gamete formation is accompanied by flagella formation. There are two MTOCs in male gametocytes: the acentriolar nuclear envelope MTOC for the mitotic spindle and an outer centriolar MTOC (the basal body) that organises flagella assembly in the cytoplasm. We show the coordinated location, association and assembly of SAS4 with the BB component, kinesin-8B, but no association with the kinetochore protein, NDC80, indicating that SAS4 is part of the BB and outer centriolar MTOC in the cytoplasm. Deletion of the SAS4 gene produced no phenotype, indicating that it is not essential for either male gamete formation or parasite transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Robert Markus
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Sue Vaughan
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - David Ferguson
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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11
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Zeeshan M, Rashpa R, Ferguson DJP, Abel S, Chahine Z, Brady D, Vaughan S, Moores CA, Le Roch KG, Brochet M, Holder AA, Tewari R. Genome-wide functional analysis reveals key roles for kinesins in the mammalian and mosquito stages of the malaria parasite life cycle. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001704. [PMID: 35900985 PMCID: PMC9333250 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinesins are microtubule (MT)-based motors important in cell division, motility, polarity, and intracellular transport in many eukaryotes. However, they are poorly studied in the divergent eukaryotic pathogens Plasmodium spp., the causative agents of malaria, which manifest atypical aspects of cell division and plasticity of morphology throughout the life cycle in both mammalian and mosquito hosts. Here, we describe a genome-wide screen of Plasmodium kinesins, revealing diverse subcellular locations and functions in spindle assembly, axoneme formation, and cell morphology. Surprisingly, only kinesin-13 is essential for growth in the mammalian host while the other 8 kinesins are required during the proliferative and invasive stages of parasite transmission through the mosquito vector. In-depth analyses of kinesin-13 and kinesin-20 revealed functions in MT dynamics during apical cell polarity formation, spindle assembly, and axoneme biogenesis. These findings help us to understand the importance of MT motors and may be exploited to discover new therapeutic interventions against malaria. A comprehensive study reveals that kinesins in the malaria parasite Plasmodium have diverse cellular roles and locations, including functions in spindle assembly during proliferation, axoneme formation in flagellum biogenesis, and determining the apical morphology of the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- University of Nottingham, School of Life Sciences, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (MZ); (RT)
| | - Ravish Rashpa
- University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David J. P. Ferguson
- Oxford Brookes University, Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford, United Kingdom
- University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Zeinab Chahine
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Declan Brady
- University of Nottingham, School of Life Sciences, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Sue Vaughan
- Oxford Brookes University, Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Carolyn A. Moores
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Karine G. Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- The Francis Crick Institute, Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rita Tewari
- University of Nottingham, School of Life Sciences, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (MZ); (RT)
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12
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Schlott AC, Knuepfer E, Green JL, Hobson P, Borg AJ, Morales-Sanfrutos J, Perrin AJ, Maclachlan C, Collinson LM, Snijders AP, Tate EW, Holder AA. Inhibition of protein N-myristoylation blocks Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development, egress and invasion. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001408. [PMID: 34695132 PMCID: PMC8544853 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We have combined chemical biology and genetic modification approaches to investigate the importance of protein myristoylation in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Parasite treatment during schizogony in the last 10 to 15 hours of the erythrocytic cycle with IMP-1002, an inhibitor of N-myristoyl transferase (NMT), led to a significant blockade in parasite egress from the infected erythrocyte. Two rhoptry proteins were mislocalized in the cell, suggesting that rhoptry function is disrupted. We identified 16 NMT substrates for which myristoylation was significantly reduced by NMT inhibitor (NMTi) treatment, and, of these, 6 proteins were substantially reduced in abundance. In a viability screen, we showed that for 4 of these proteins replacement of the N-terminal glycine with alanine to prevent myristoylation had a substantial effect on parasite fitness. In detailed studies of one NMT substrate, glideosome-associated protein 45 (GAP45), loss of myristoylation had no impact on protein location or glideosome assembly, in contrast to the disruption caused by GAP45 gene deletion, but GAP45 myristoylation was essential for erythrocyte invasion. Therefore, there are at least 3 mechanisms by which inhibition of NMT can disrupt parasite development and growth: early in parasite development, leading to the inhibition of schizogony and formation of “pseudoschizonts,” which has been described previously; at the end of schizogony, with disruption of rhoptry formation, merozoite development and egress from the infected erythrocyte; and at invasion, when impairment of motor complex function prevents invasion of new erythrocytes. These results underline the importance of P. falciparum NMT as a drug target because of the pleiotropic effect of its inhibition. Understanding the essential factors needed for malaria parasite development could help us find new therapeutic targets. This study reveals that N-myristoylation is a posttranslational modification of proteins essential for the parasites’ growth and their invasion of red blood cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja C. Schlott
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Judith L. Green
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Hobson
- Flow Cytometry Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aaron J. Borg
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Abigail J. Perrin
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine Maclachlan
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy M. Collinson
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ambrosius P. Snijders
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edward W. Tate
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
- Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (EWT); (AAH)
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (EWT); (AAH)
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13
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Bahl V, Chaddha K, Mian SY, Holder AA, Knuepfer E, Gaur D. Genetic disruption of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite surface antigen 180 (PfMSA180) suggests an essential role during parasite egress from erythrocytes. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19183. [PMID: 34584166 PMCID: PMC8479079 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98707-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for severe malaria, develops within erythrocytes. Merozoite invasion and subsequent egress of intraerythrocytic parasites are essential for this erythrocytic cycle, parasite survival and pathogenesis. In the present study, we report the essential role of a novel protein, P. falciparum Merozoite Surface Antigen 180 (PfMSA180), which is conserved across Plasmodium species and recently shown to be associated with the P. vivax merozoite surface. Here, we studied MSA180 expression, processing, localization and function in P. falciparum blood stages. Initially we examined its role in invasion, a process mediated by multiple ligand-receptor interactions and an attractive step for targeting with inhibitory antibodies through the development of a malaria vaccine. Using antibodies specific for different regions of PfMSA180, together with a parasite containing a conditional pfmsa180-gene knockout generated using CRISPR/Cas9 and DiCre recombinase technology, we demonstrate that this protein is unlikely to play a crucial role in erythrocyte invasion. However, deletion of the pfmsa180 gene resulted in a severe egress defect, preventing schizont rupture and blocking the erythrocytic cycle. Our study highlights an essential role of PfMSA180 in parasite egress, which could be targeted through the development of a novel malaria intervention strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanndita Bahl
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.
| | - Kritika Chaddha
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Syed Yusuf Mian
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK. .,The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, Hertfordshire, UK.
| | - Deepak Gaur
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
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14
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Lasonder E, More K, Singh S, Haidar M, Bertinetti D, Kennedy EJ, Herberg FW, Holder AA, Langsley G, Chitnis CE. cAMP-Dependent Signaling Pathways as Potential Targets for Inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum Blood Stages. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:684005. [PMID: 34108954 PMCID: PMC8183823 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.684005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We review the role of signaling pathways in regulation of the key processes of merozoite egress and red blood cell invasion by Plasmodium falciparum and, in particular, the importance of the second messengers, cAMP and Ca2+, and cyclic nucleotide dependent kinases. cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is comprised of cAMP-binding regulatory, and catalytic subunits. The less well conserved cAMP-binding pockets should make cAMP analogs attractive drug leads, but this approach is compromised by the poor membrane permeability of cyclic nucleotides. We discuss how the conserved nature of ATP-binding pockets makes ATP analogs inherently prone to off-target effects and how ATP analogs and genetic manipulation can be useful research tools to examine this. We suggest that targeting PKA interaction partners as well as substrates, or developing inhibitors based on PKA interaction sites or phosphorylation sites in PKA substrates, may provide viable alternative approaches for the development of anti-malarial drugs. Proximity of PKA to a substrate is necessary for substrate phosphorylation, but the P. falciparum genome encodes few recognizable A-kinase anchor proteins (AKAPs), suggesting the importance of PKA-regulatory subunit myristylation and membrane association in determining substrate preference. We also discuss how Pf14-3-3 assembles a phosphorylation-dependent signaling complex that includes PKA and calcium dependent protein kinase 1 (CDPK1) and how this complex may be critical for merozoite invasion, and a target to block parasite growth. We compare altered phosphorylation levels in intracellular and egressed merozoites to identify potential PKA substrates. Finally, as host PKA may have a critical role in supporting intracellular parasite development, we discuss its role at other stages of the life cycle, as well as in other apicomplexan infections. Throughout our review we propose possible new directions for the therapeutic exploitation of cAMP-PKA-signaling in malaria and other diseases caused by apicomplexan parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Lasonder
- Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Kunal More
- Unité de Biologie de Plasmodium et Vaccins, Département de Parasites et Insectes Vecteurs, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Malak Haidar
- Laboratoire de Biologie Comparative des Apicomplexes, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France
| | | | - Eileen J Kennedy
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | | | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gordon Langsley
- Laboratoire de Biologie Comparative des Apicomplexes, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France
| | - Chetan E Chitnis
- Unité de Biologie de Plasmodium et Vaccins, Département de Parasites et Insectes Vecteurs, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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15
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Guttery DS, Pandey R, Ferguson DJ, Wall RJ, Brady D, Gupta D, Holder AA, Tewari R. Plasmodium DEH is ER-localized and crucial for oocyst mitotic division during malaria transmission. Life Sci Alliance 2020; 3:e202000879. [PMID: 33106323 PMCID: PMC7652392 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202000879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells use fatty acids (FAs) for membrane biosynthesis, energy storage, and the generation of signaling molecules. 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase-DEH-is a key component of very long chain fatty acid synthesis. Here, we further characterized in-depth the location and function of DEH, applying in silico analysis, live cell imaging, reverse genetics, and ultrastructure analysis using the mouse malaria model Plasmodium berghei DEH is evolutionarily conserved across eukaryotes, with a single DEH in Plasmodium spp. and up to three orthologs in the other eukaryotes studied. DEH-GFP live-cell imaging showed strong GFP fluorescence throughout the life-cycle, with areas of localized expression in the cytoplasm and a circular ring pattern around the nucleus that colocalized with ER markers. Δdeh mutants showed a small but significant reduction in oocyst size compared with WT controls from day 10 postinfection onwards, and endomitotic cell division and sporogony were completely ablated, blocking parasite transmission from mosquito to vertebrate host. Ultrastructure analysis confirmed degeneration of Δdeh oocysts, and a complete lack of sporozoite budding. Overall, DEH is evolutionarily conserved, localizes to the ER, and plays a crucial role in sporogony.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Guttery
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- The Leicester Cancer Research Centre, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Rajan Pandey
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Translational Bioinformatics Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India
| | - David Jp Ferguson
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Richard J Wall
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Dinesh Gupta
- Translational Bioinformatics Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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16
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Zeeshan M, Brady D, Stanway RR, Moores CA, Holder AA, Tewari R. Plasmodium berghei Kinesin-5 Associates With the Spindle Apparatus During Cell Division and Is Important for Efficient Production of Infectious Sporozoites. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:583812. [PMID: 33154955 PMCID: PMC7591757 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.583812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinesin-5 motors play essential roles in spindle apparatus assembly during cell division, by generating forces to establish and maintain the spindle bipolarity essential for proper chromosome segregation. Kinesin-5 is largely conserved structurally and functionally in model eukaryotes, but its role is unknown in the Plasmodium parasite, an evolutionarily divergent organism with several atypical features of both mitotic and meiotic cell division. We have investigated the function and subcellular location of kinesin-5 during cell division throughout the Plasmodium berghei life cycle. Deletion of kinesin-5 had little visible effect at any proliferative stage except sporozoite production in oocysts, resulting in a significant decrease in the number of motile sporozoites in mosquito salivary glands, which were able to infect a new vertebrate host. Live-cell imaging showed kinesin-5-GFP located on the spindle and at spindle poles during both atypical mitosis and meiosis. Fixed-cell immunofluorescence assays revealed kinesin-5 co-localized with α-tubulin and centrin-2 and a partial overlap with kinetochore marker NDC80 during early blood stage schizogony. Dual-color live-cell imaging showed that kinesin-5 is closely associated with NDC80 during male gametogony, but not with kinesin-8B, a marker of the basal body and axonemes of the forming flagella. Treatment of gametocytes with microtubule-specific inhibitors confirmed kinesin-5 association with nuclear spindles and not cytoplasmic axonemal microtubules. Altogether, our results demonstrate that kinesin-5 is associated with the spindle apparatus, expressed in proliferating parasite stages, and important for efficient production of infectious sporozoites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Carolyn A. Moores
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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17
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Zeeshan M, Pandey R, Ferguson DJP, Tromer EC, Markus R, Abel S, Brady D, Daniel E, Limenitakis R, Bottrill AR, Le Roch KG, Holder AA, Waller RF, Guttery DS, Tewari R. Real-time dynamics of Plasmodium NDC80 reveals unusual modes of chromosome segregation during parasite proliferation. J Cell Sci 2020; 134:jcs245753. [PMID: 32501284 PMCID: PMC7340582 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.245753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic cell proliferation requires chromosome replication and precise segregation to ensure daughter cells have identical genomic copies. Species of the genus Plasmodium, the causative agents of malaria, display remarkable aspects of nuclear division throughout their life cycle to meet some peculiar and unique challenges to DNA replication and chromosome segregation. The parasite undergoes atypical endomitosis and endoreduplication with an intact nuclear membrane and intranuclear mitotic spindle. To understand these diverse modes of Plasmodium cell division, we have studied the behaviour and composition of the outer kinetochore NDC80 complex, a key part of the mitotic apparatus that attaches the centromere of chromosomes to microtubules of the mitotic spindle. Using NDC80-GFP live-cell imaging in Plasmodium berghei, we observe dynamic spatiotemporal changes during proliferation, including highly unusual kinetochore arrangements during sexual stages. We identify a very divergent candidate for the SPC24 subunit of the NDC80 complex, previously thought to be missing in Plasmodium, which completes a canonical, albeit unusual, NDC80 complex structure. Altogether, our studies reveal the kinetochore to be an ideal tool to investigate the non-canonical modes of chromosome segregation and cell division in Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Rajan Pandey
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - David J P Ferguson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Eelco C Tromer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Robert Markus
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Emilie Daniel
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | | | - Andrew R Bottrill
- School of Life Sciences, Gibbelt Hill Campus, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ross F Waller
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK
| | - David S Guttery
- Leicester Cancer Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
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18
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Balestra AC, Zeeshan M, Rea E, Pasquarello C, Brusini L, Mourier T, Subudhi AK, Klages N, Arboit P, Pandey R, Brady D, Vaughan S, Holder AA, Pain A, Ferguson DJP, Hainard A, Tewari R, Brochet M. A divergent cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase complex controls the atypical replication of a malaria parasite during gametogony and transmission. eLife 2020; 9:e56474. [PMID: 32568069 PMCID: PMC7308089 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell cycle transitions are generally triggered by variation in the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) bound to cyclins. Malaria-causing parasites have a life cycle with unique cell-division cycles, and a repertoire of divergent CDKs and cyclins of poorly understood function and interdependency. We show that Plasmodium berghei CDK-related kinase 5 (CRK5), is a critical regulator of atypical mitosis in the gametogony and is required for mosquito transmission. It phosphorylates canonical CDK motifs of components in the pre-replicative complex and is essential for DNA replication. During a replicative cycle, CRK5 stably interacts with a single Plasmodium-specific cyclin (SOC2), although we obtained no evidence of SOC2 cycling by transcription, translation or degradation. Our results provide evidence that during Plasmodium male gametogony, this divergent cyclin/CDK pair fills the functional space of other eukaryotic cell-cycle kinases controlling DNA replication.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mohammad Zeeshan
- University of Nottingham, School of Life SciencesNottinghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Edward Rea
- University of Nottingham, School of Life SciencesNottinghamUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Lorenzo Brusini
- University of Geneva, Faculty of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
- University of Nottingham, School of Life SciencesNottinghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Tobias Mourier
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyThuwalSaudi Arabia
| | - Amit Kumar Subudhi
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyThuwalSaudi Arabia
| | - Natacha Klages
- University of Geneva, Faculty of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
| | | | - Rajan Pandey
- University of Nottingham, School of Life SciencesNottinghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Declan Brady
- University of Nottingham, School of Life SciencesNottinghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Sue Vaughan
- Oxford Brookes University, Department of Biological and Medical SciencesOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Anthony A Holder
- The Francis Crick Institute, Malaria Parasitology LaboratoryLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Arnab Pain
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyThuwalSaudi Arabia
| | - David JP Ferguson
- Oxford Brookes University, Department of Biological and Medical SciencesOxfordUnited Kingdom
- University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory ScienceOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Rita Tewari
- University of Nottingham, School of Life SciencesNottinghamUnited Kingdom
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19
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Green JL, Wu Y, Encheva V, Lasonder E, Prommaban A, Kunzelmann S, Christodoulou E, Grainger M, Truongvan N, Bothe S, Sharma V, Song W, Pinzuti I, Uthaipibull C, Srichairatanakool S, Birault V, Langsley G, Schindelin H, Stieglitz B, Snijders AP, Holder AA. Ubiquitin activation is essential for schizont maturation in Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage development. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008640. [PMID: 32569299 PMCID: PMC7332102 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ubiquitylation is a common post translational modification of eukaryotic proteins and in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) overall ubiquitylation increases in the transition from intracellular schizont to extracellular merozoite stages in the asexual blood stage cycle. Here, we identify specific ubiquitylation sites of protein substrates in three intraerythrocytic parasite stages and extracellular merozoites; a total of 1464 sites in 546 proteins were identified (data available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD014998). 469 ubiquitylated proteins were identified in merozoites compared with only 160 in the preceding intracellular schizont stage, suggesting a large increase in protein ubiquitylation associated with merozoite maturation. Following merozoite invasion of erythrocytes, few ubiquitylated proteins were detected in the first intracellular ring stage but as parasites matured through trophozoite to schizont stages the apparent extent of ubiquitylation increased. We identified commonly used ubiquitylation motifs and groups of ubiquitylated proteins in specific areas of cellular function, for example merozoite pellicle proteins involved in erythrocyte invasion, exported proteins, and histones. To investigate the importance of ubiquitylation we screened ubiquitin pathway inhibitors in a parasite growth assay and identified the ubiquitin activating enzyme (UBA1 or E1) inhibitor MLN7243 (TAK-243) to be particularly effective. This small molecule was shown to be a potent inhibitor of recombinant PfUBA1, and a structural homology model of MLN7243 bound to the parasite enzyme highlights avenues for the development of P. falciparum specific inhibitors. We created a genetically modified parasite with a rapamycin-inducible functional deletion of uba1; addition of either MLN7243 or rapamycin to the recombinant parasite line resulted in the same phenotype, with parasite development blocked at the schizont stage. Nuclear division and formation of intracellular structures was interrupted. These results indicate that the intracellular target of MLN7243 is UBA1, and this activity is essential for the final differentiation of schizonts to merozoites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith L. Green
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yang Wu
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Vesela Encheva
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edwin Lasonder
- School of Biomedical Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Adchara Prommaban
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Simone Kunzelmann
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Evangelos Christodoulou
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Munira Grainger
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ngoc Truongvan
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Experimental Biomedicine, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Bothe
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Vikram Sharma
- School of Biomedical Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Wei Song
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Irene Pinzuti
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chairat Uthaipibull
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Khlong Luang, Thailand
| | | | | | - Gordon Langsley
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Comparative des Apicomplexes, Institut Cochin, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Hermann Schindelin
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Experimental Biomedicine, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Stieglitz
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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20
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Abah SE, Burté F, Howell SA, Lagunju I, Shokunbi WA, Wahlgren M, Sodeinde O, Brown BJ, Holder AA, Fernandez-Reyes D. Depleted circulatory complement-lysis inhibitor (CLI) in childhood cerebral malaria returns to normal with convalescence. Malar J 2020; 19:167. [PMID: 32336276 PMCID: PMC7184698 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-020-03241-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cerebral malaria (CM), is a life-threatening childhood malaria syndrome with high mortality. CM is associated with impaired consciousness and neurological damage. It is not fully understood, as yet, why some children develop CM. Presented here is an observation from longitudinal studies on CM in a paediatric cohort of children from a large, densely-populated and malaria holoendemic, sub-Saharan, West African metropolis. METHODS Plasma samples were collected from a cohort of children with CM, severe malarial anaemia (SMA), uncomplicated malaria (UM), non-malaria positive healthy community controls (CC), and coma and anemic patients without malaria, as disease controls (DC). Proteomic two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and mass spectrometry were used in a discovery cohort to identify plasma proteins that might be discriminatory among these clinical groups. The circulatory levels of identified proteins of interest were quantified by ELISA in a prospective validation cohort. RESULTS The proteome analysis revealed differential abundance of circulatory complement-lysis inhibitor (CLI), also known as Clusterin (CLU). CLI circulatory level was low at hospital admission in all children presenting with CM and recovered to normal level during convalescence (p < 0.0001). At acute onset, circulatory level of CLI in the CM group significantly discriminates CM from the UM, SMA, DC and CC groups. CONCLUSIONS The CLI circulatory level is low in all patients in the CM group at admission, but recovers through convalescence. The level of CLI at acute onset may be a specific discriminatory marker of CM. This work suggests that CLI may play a role in the pathophysiology of CM and may be useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of children presenting with CM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Florence Burté
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Steven A Howell
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ikeoluwa Lagunju
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Wuraola A Shokunbi
- Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Department of Haematology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Mats Wahlgren
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Olugbemiro Sodeinde
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Biobele J Brown
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | | | - Delmiro Fernandez-Reyes
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
- Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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21
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Pandey R, Abel S, Boucher M, Wall RJ, Zeeshan M, Rea E, Freville A, Lu XM, Brady D, Daniel E, Stanway RR, Wheatley S, Batugedara G, Hollin T, Bottrill AR, Gupta D, Holder AA, Le Roch KG, Tewari R. Plasmodium Condensin Core Subunits SMC2/SMC4 Mediate Atypical Mitosis and Are Essential for Parasite Proliferation and Transmission. Cell Rep 2020; 30:1883-1897.e6. [PMID: 32049018 PMCID: PMC7016506 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.01.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Condensin is a multi-subunit protein complex regulating chromosome condensation and segregation during cell division. In Plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria, cell division is atypical and the role of condensin is unclear. Here we examine the role of SMC2 and SMC4, the core subunits of condensin, during endomitosis in schizogony and endoreduplication in male gametogenesis. During early schizogony, SMC2/SMC4 localize to a distinct focus, identified as the centromeres by NDC80 fluorescence and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) analyses, but do not form condensin I or II complexes. In mature schizonts and during male gametogenesis, there is a diffuse SMC2/SMC4 distribution on chromosomes and in the nucleus, and both condensin I and condensin II complexes form at these stages. Knockdown of smc2 and smc4 gene expression reveals essential roles in parasite proliferation and transmission. The condensin core subunits (SMC2/SMC4) form different complexes and may have distinct functions at various stages of the parasite life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajan Pandey
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Matthew Boucher
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Richard J Wall
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Edward Rea
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Aline Freville
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Xueqing Maggie Lu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Emilie Daniel
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Rebecca R Stanway
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Sally Wheatley
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Gayani Batugedara
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Thomas Hollin
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Andrew R Bottrill
- School of Life Sciences, Gibbet Hill Campus, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Dinesh Gupta
- Translational Bioinformatics Group, International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
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22
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Wall RJ, Zeeshan M, Katris NJ, Limenitakis R, Rea E, Stock J, Brady D, Waller RF, Holder AA, Tewari R. Systematic analysis of Plasmodium myosins reveals differential expression, localisation, and function in invasive and proliferative parasite stages. Cell Microbiol 2019; 21:e13082. [PMID: 31283102 PMCID: PMC6851706 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The myosin superfamily comprises of actin-dependent eukaryotic molecular motors important in a variety of cellular functions. Although well studied in many systems, knowledge of their functions in Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, is restricted. Previously, six myosins were identified in this genus, including three Class XIV myosins found only in Apicomplexa and some Ciliates. The well characterized MyoA is a Class XIV myosin essential for gliding motility and invasion. Here, we characterize all other Plasmodium myosins throughout the parasite life cycle and show that they have very diverse patterns of expression and cellular location. MyoB and MyoE, the other two Class XIV myosins, are expressed in all invasive stages, with apical and basal locations, respectively. Gene deletion revealed that MyoE is involved in sporozoite traversal, MyoF and MyoK are likely essential in the asexual blood stages, and MyoJ and MyoB are not essential. Both MyoB and its essential light chain (MCL-B) are localised at the apical end of ookinetes but expressed at completely different time points. This work provides a better understanding of the role of actomyosin motors in Apicomplexan parasites, particularly in the motile and invasive stages of Plasmodium during sexual and asexual development within the mosquito.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J. Wall
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | | | | | - Edward Rea
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Jessica Stock
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Ross F. Waller
- Department of BiochemistryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | | | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
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23
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Zeeshan M, Shilliday F, Liu T, Abel S, Mourier T, Ferguson DJP, Rea E, Stanway RR, Roques M, Williams D, Daniel E, Brady D, Roberts AJ, Holder AA, Pain A, Le Roch KG, Moores CA, Tewari R. Plasmodium kinesin-8X associates with mitotic spindles and is essential for oocyst development during parasite proliferation and transmission. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1008048. [PMID: 31600347 PMCID: PMC6786531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinesin-8 proteins are microtubule motors that are often involved in regulation of mitotic spindle length and chromosome alignment. They move towards the plus ends of spindle microtubules and regulate the dynamics of these ends due, at least in some species, to their microtubule depolymerization activity. Plasmodium spp. exhibit an atypical endomitotic cell division in which chromosome condensation and spindle dynamics in the different proliferative stages are not well understood. Genome-wide shared orthology analysis of Plasmodium spp. revealed the presence of two kinesin-8 motor proteins, kinesin-8X and kinesin-8B. Here we studied the biochemical properties of kinesin-8X and its role in parasite proliferation. In vitro, kinesin-8X has motility and depolymerization activities like other kinesin-8 motors. To understand the role of Plasmodium kinesin-8X in cell division, we used fluorescence-tagging and live cell imaging to define its location, and gene targeting to analyse its function, during all proliferative stages of the rodent malaria parasite P. berghei life cycle. The results revealed a spatio-temporal involvement of kinesin-8X in spindle dynamics and an association with both mitotic and meiotic spindles and the putative microtubule organising centre (MTOC). Deletion of the kinesin-8X gene revealed a defect in oocyst development, confirmed by ultrastructural studies, suggesting that this protein is required for oocyst development and sporogony. Transcriptome analysis of Δkinesin-8X gametocytes revealed modulated expression of genes involved mainly in microtubule-based processes, chromosome organisation and the regulation of gene expression, supporting a role for kinesin-8X in cell division. Kinesin-8X is thus required for parasite proliferation within the mosquito and for transmission to the vertebrate host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Shilliday
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tianyang Liu
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Tobias Mourier
- Biological Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - David J. P. Ferguson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Edward Rea
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Magali Roques
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Desiree Williams
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Emilie Daniel
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony J. Roberts
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Arnab Pain
- Biological Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Karine G. Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Carolyn A. Moores
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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24
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Zeeshan M, Ferguson DJ, Abel S, Burrrell A, Rea E, Brady D, Daniel E, Delves M, Vaughan S, Holder AA, Le Roch KG, Moores CA, Tewari R. Kinesin-8B controls basal body function and flagellum formation and is key to malaria transmission. Life Sci Alliance 2019; 2:e201900488. [PMID: 31409625 PMCID: PMC6696982 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201900488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic flagella are conserved microtubule-based organelles that drive cell motility. Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, has a single flagellate stage: the male gamete in the mosquito. Three rounds of endomitotic division in male gametocyte together with an unusual mode of flagellum assembly rapidly produce eight motile gametes. These processes are tightly coordinated, but their regulation is poorly understood. To understand this important developmental stage, we studied the function and location of the microtubule-based motor kinesin-8B, using gene-targeting, electron microscopy, and live cell imaging. Deletion of the kinesin-8B gene showed no effect on mitosis but disrupted 9+2 axoneme assembly and flagellum formation during male gamete development and also completely ablated parasite transmission. Live cell imaging showed that kinesin-8B-GFP did not co-localise with kinetochores in the nucleus but instead revealed a dynamic, cytoplasmic localisation with the basal bodies and the assembling axoneme during flagellum formation. We, thus, uncovered an unexpected role for kinesin-8B in parasite flagellum formation that is vital for the parasite life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - David Jp Ferguson
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Alana Burrrell
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Edward Rea
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Emilie Daniel
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Michael Delves
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel, London, UK
| | - Sue Vaughan
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Carolyn A Moores
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, London, UK
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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25
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Schlott AC, Mayclin S, Reers AR, Coburn-Flynn O, Bell AS, Green J, Knuepfer E, Charter D, Bonnert R, Campo B, Burrows J, Lyons-Abbott S, Staker BL, Chung CW, Myler PJ, Fidock DA, Tate EW, Holder AA. Structure-Guided Identification of Resistance Breaking Antimalarial N‑Myristoyltransferase Inhibitors. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 26:991-1000.e7. [PMID: 31080074 PMCID: PMC6658617 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The attachment of myristate to the N-terminal glycine of certain proteins is largely a co-translational modification catalyzed by N-myristoyltransferase (NMT), and involved in protein membrane-localization. Pathogen NMT is a validated therapeutic target in numerous infectious diseases including malaria. In Plasmodium falciparum, NMT substrates are important in essential processes including parasite gliding motility and host cell invasion. Here, we generated parasites resistant to a particular NMT inhibitor series and show that resistance in an in vitro parasite growth assay is mediated by a single amino acid substitution in the NMT substrate-binding pocket. The basis of resistance was validated and analyzed with a structure-guided approach using crystallography, in combination with enzyme activity, stability, and surface plasmon resonance assays, allowing identification of another inhibitor series unaffected by this substitution. We suggest that resistance studies incorporated early in the drug development process help selection of drug combinations to impede rapid evolution of parasite resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja C Schlott
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK; Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, White City Campus Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK.
| | - Stephen Mayclin
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; UCB Pharma, 7869 NE Day Road West, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, USA
| | - Alexandra R Reers
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, USA
| | - Olivia Coburn-Flynn
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Andrew S Bell
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, White City Campus Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Judith Green
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - David Charter
- Structural and Biophysical Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Roger Bonnert
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Brice Campo
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Jeremy Burrows
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Sally Lyons-Abbott
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, USA
| | - Bart L Staker
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, USA
| | - Chun-Wa Chung
- Structural and Biophysical Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK; Crick-GSK Biomedical LinkLabs, GSK Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, UK
| | - Peter J Myler
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, USA; Department of Biomedical Informatics & Medical Education, University of Washington, Seattle, USA; Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Edward W Tate
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, White City Campus Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK.
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26
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Knuepfer E, Wright KE, Kumar Prajapati S, Rawlinson TA, Mohring F, Koch M, Lyth OR, Howell SA, Villasis E, Snijders AP, Moon RW, Draper SJ, Rosanas-Urgell A, Higgins MK, Baum J, Holder AA. Divergent roles for the RH5 complex components, CyRPA and RIPR in human-infective malaria parasites. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007809. [PMID: 31185066 PMCID: PMC6588255 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites, which invade and replicate in erythrocytes. For Plasmodium falciparum, the major cause of severe malaria in humans, a heterotrimeric complex comprised of the secreted parasite proteins, PfCyRPA, PfRIPR and PfRH5 is essential for erythrocyte invasion, mediated by the interaction between PfRH5 and erythrocyte receptor basigin (BSG). However, whilst CyRPA and RIPR are present in most Plasmodium species, RH5 is found only in the small Laverania subgenus. Existence of a complex analogous to PfRH5-PfCyRPA-PfRIPR targeting BSG, and involvement of CyRPA and RIPR in invasion, however, has not been addressed in non-Laverania parasites. Here, we establish that unlike P. falciparum, P. knowlesi and P. vivax do not universally require BSG as a host cell invasion receptor. Although we show that both PkCyRPA and PkRIPR are essential for successful invasion of erythrocytes by P. knowlesi parasites in vitro, neither protein forms a complex with each other or with an RH5-like molecule. Instead, PkRIPR is part of a different trimeric protein complex whereas PkCyRPA appears to function without other parasite binding partners. It therefore appears that in the absence of RH5, outside of the Laverania subgenus, RIPR and CyRPA have different, independent functions crucial for parasite survival. Malaria is one of the most devastating infectious diseases, causing significant human suffering and death. It is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium proliferating in the bloodstream. Understanding the mechanism of erythrocyte invasion is key for developing novel intervention strategies. P. falciparum, the cause of the most severe form of malaria, requires the interaction of a trimeric protein complex RH5-CyRPA-RIPR with the host receptor BSG for successful invasion. We show here that the BSG receptor is not essential for invasion by two other major causes of human malaria, P. vivax and P. knowlesi. Furthermore, we analyzed the role of CyRPA and RIPR in the absence of an RH5-like molecule in P. knowlesi and show that these molecules do not associate to form a protein complex unlike in the presence of RH5 in P. falciparum. PkRIPR is part of a different protein complex. Despite this difference CyRPA and RIPR still have essential functions during host cell invasion in other important human malaria-causing parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Knuepfer
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (EK); (KEW); (JB); (AAH)
| | - Katherine E. Wright
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (EK); (KEW); (JB); (AAH)
| | | | | | - Franziska Mohring
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marion Koch
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver R. Lyth
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Steven A. Howell
- Proteomics Science and Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Villasis
- Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Ambrosius P. Snijders
- Proteomics Science and Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robert W. Moon
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon J. Draper
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Rosanas-Urgell
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Matthew K. Higgins
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (EK); (KEW); (JB); (AAH)
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (EK); (KEW); (JB); (AAH)
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27
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Roques M, Stanway RR, Rea EI, Markus R, Brady D, Holder AA, Guttery DS, Tewari R. Plasmodium centrin PbCEN-4 localizes to the putative MTOC and is dispensable for malaria parasite proliferation. Biol Open 2019; 8:bio.036822. [PMID: 30541825 PMCID: PMC6361220 DOI: 10.1242/bio.036822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Centrins are calmodulin-like phosphoproteins present in the centrosome and play an active role in the duplication, separation and organization of centrosomal structures such as the microtubule-organizing centre (MTOC) during mitosis. They are also major components of the basal body of flagella and cilia. In Plasmodium spp., the parasite that causes malaria, mitosis is closed during asexual replication and the MTOC is embedded within the intact nuclear membrane. The MTOC has been named the centriolar plaque and is similar to the spindle pole body in yeast. In all phases of asexual replication, repeated rounds of nuclear division precede cell division. However, our knowledge of the location and function of centrins during this process is limited. Previous studies have identified four putative centrins in the human parasite Plasmodiumfalciparum. We report here the cellular localization of an alveolate-specific centrin (PbCEN-4) during the atypical cell division of asexual replicative stages, using live cell imaging with the rodent malaria parasite P. berghei as a model system. We show that this centrin forms a multi-protein complex with other centrins, but is dispensable for parasite proliferation. Summary: This study examines the localization of malaria parasite centrin PbCEN4 at the parasite MTOC during closed endomitosis and shows it to be dispensable for proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Roques
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Rebecca R Stanway
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Edward I Rea
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Robert Markus
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | | | - David S Guttery
- The Leicester Cancer Research Centre, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
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28
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Abah SE, Burté F, Marquet S, Brown BJ, Akinkunmi F, Oyinloye G, Afolabi NK, Omokhodion S, Lagunju I, Shokunbi WA, Wahlgren M, Dessein H, Argiro L, Dessein AJ, Noyvert B, Hunt L, Elgar G, Sodeinde O, Holder AA, Fernandez-Reyes D. Low plasma haptoglobin is a risk factor for life-threatening childhood severe malarial anemia and not an exclusive consequence of hemolysis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17527. [PMID: 30510258 PMCID: PMC6277387 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35944-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe Malarial Anemia (SMA), a life-threatening childhood Plasmodium falciparum malaria syndrome requiring urgent blood transfusion, exhibits inflammatory and hemolytic pathology. Differentiating between hypo-haptoglobinemia due to hemolysis or that of genetic origin is key to understand SMA pathogenesis. We hypothesized that while malaria-induced hypo-haptoglobinemia should reverse at recovery, that of genetic etiology should not. We carried-out a case-control study of children living under hyper-endemic holoendemic malaria burden in the sub-Saharan metropolis of Ibadan, Nigeria. We show that hypo-haptoglobinemia is a risk factor for childhood SMA and not solely due to intravascular hemolysis from underlying schizogony. In children presenting with SMA, hypo-haptoglobinemia remains through convalescence to recovery suggesting a genetic cause. We identified a haptoglobin gene variant, rs12162087 (g.-1203G > A, frequency = 0.67), to be associated with plasma haptoglobin levels (p = 8.5 × 10-6). The Homo-Var:(AA) is associated with high plasma haptoglobin while the reference Homo-Ref:(GG) is associated with hypo-haptoglobinemia (p = 2.3 × 10-6). The variant is associated with SMA, with the most support for a risk effect for Homo-Ref genotype. Our insights on regulatory haptoglobin genotypes and hypo-haptoglobinemia suggest that haptoglobin screening could be part of risk-assessment algorithms to prevent rapid disease progression towards SMA in regions with no-access to urgent blood transfusion where SMA accounts for high childhood mortality rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Eneọjọ Abah
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Florence Burté
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Sandrine Marquet
- Aix-Marseille University, Inserm GIMP, Labex ParaFrap, Marseille, 13385, France.,Aix-Marseille University, Inserm Laboratoire TAGC/U1090, Marseille, 13288, France
| | - Biobele J Brown
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Francis Akinkunmi
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Gbeminiyi Oyinloye
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Nathaniel K Afolabi
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Samuel Omokhodion
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Ikeoluwa Lagunju
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Wuraola A Shokunbi
- Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Haematology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Mats Wahlgren
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hélia Dessein
- Aix-Marseille University, Inserm GIMP, Labex ParaFrap, Marseille, 13385, France
| | - Laurent Argiro
- Aix-Marseille University, Inserm GIMP, Labex ParaFrap, Marseille, 13385, France
| | - Alain J Dessein
- Aix-Marseille University, Inserm GIMP, Labex ParaFrap, Marseille, 13385, France
| | - Boris Noyvert
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Lilian Hunt
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Greg Elgar
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Olugbemiro Sodeinde
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Delmiro Fernandez-Reyes
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. .,Childhood Malaria Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. .,Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
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29
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Schlott AC, Holder AA, Tate EW. N-Myristoylation as a Drug Target in Malaria: Exploring the Role of N-Myristoyltransferase Substrates in the Inhibitor Mode of Action. ACS Infect Dis 2018; 4:449-457. [PMID: 29363940 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Malaria continues to be a significant cause of death and morbidity worldwide, and there is a need for new antimalarial drugs with novel targets. We have focused as a potential target for drug development on N-myristoyl transferase (NMT), an enzyme that acylates a wide range of substrate proteins. The NMT substrates in Plasmodium falciparum include some proteins that are common to processes in eukaryotes such as secretory transport and others that are unique to apicomplexan parasites. Myristoylation facilitates a protein interaction with membranes that may be strengthened by further lipidation, and the inhibition of NMT results in incorrect protein localization and the consequent disruption of function. The diverse roles of NMT substrates mean that NMT inhibition has a pleiotropic and severe impact on parasite development, growth, and multiplication. To study the mode of action underlying NMT inhibition, it is important to consider the function of proteins upstream and downstream of NMT. In this work, we therefore present our current perspective on the different functions of known NMT substrates as well as compare the inhibition of cotranslational myristoylation to the inhibition of known targets upstream of NMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja C. Schlott
- Malaria Parasitology, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT London, United Kingdom
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Imperial College Road, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT London, United Kingdom
| | - Edward W. Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Imperial College Road, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom
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30
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Rea E, Holder AA, Tewari R. Plasmodium Peekaboo: PK4 Mediates Parasite Latency. Cell Host Microbe 2018; 22:724-725. [PMID: 29241036 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2017.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Zhang et al. (2017) show that translational repression through eIF2α phosphorylation mediated by PK4 kinase activity plays a key role in artemisinin resistance in recrudescent malaria infections. Targeting this druggable process could extend the lifespan of current frontline treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Rea
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
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31
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Benavente ED, de Sessions PF, Moon RW, Grainger M, Holder AA, Blackman MJ, Roper C, Drakeley CJ, Pain A, Sutherland CJ, Hibberd ML, Campino S, Clark TG. A reference genome and methylome for the Plasmodium knowlesi A1-H.1 line. Int J Parasitol 2017; 48:191-196. [PMID: 29258833 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2017] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium knowlesi, a common parasite of macaques, is recognised as a significant cause of human malaria in Malaysia. The P. knowlesi A1H1 line has been adapted to continuous culture in human erythrocytes, successfully providing an in vitro model to study the parasite. We have assembled a reference genome for the PkA1-H.1 line using PacBio long read combined with Illumina short read sequence data. Compared with the H-strain reference, the new reference has improved genome coverage and a novel description of methylation sites. The PkA1-H.1 reference will enhance the capabilities of the in vitro model to improve the understanding of P. knowlesi infection in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest Diez Benavente
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Robert W Moon
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Munira Grainger
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A Holder
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Cally Roper
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher J Drakeley
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Arnab Pain
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Colin J Sutherland
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Martin L Hibberd
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Genomics Institute Singapore, Singapore
| | - Susana Campino
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Taane G Clark
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
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32
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Saini E, Zeeshan M, Brady D, Pandey R, Kaiser G, Koreny L, Kumar P, Thakur V, Tatiya S, Katris NJ, Limenitakis RS, Kaur I, Green JL, Bottrill AR, Guttery DS, Waller RF, Heussler V, Holder AA, Mohmmed A, Malhotra P, Tewari R. Photosensitized INA-Labelled protein 1 (PhIL1) is novel component of the inner membrane complex and is required for Plasmodium parasite development. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15577. [PMID: 29138437 PMCID: PMC5686188 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15781-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, possess a distinctive membranous structure of flattened alveolar vesicles supported by a proteinaceous network, and referred to as the inner membrane complex (IMC). The IMC has a role in actomyosin-mediated motility and host cell invasion. Here, we examine the location, protein interactome and function of PhIL1, an IMC-associated protein on the motile and invasive stages of both human and rodent parasites. We show that PhIL1 is located in the IMC in all three invasive (merozoite, ookinete-, and sporozoite) stages of development, as well as in the male gametocyte and locates both at the apical and basal ends of ookinete and sporozoite stages. Proteins interacting with PhIL1 were identified, showing that PhIL1 was bound to only some proteins present in the glideosome motor complex (GAP50, GAPM1–3) of both P. falciparum and P. berghei. Analysis of PhIL1 function using gene targeting approaches indicated that the protein is required for both asexual and sexual stages of development. In conclusion, we show that PhIL1 is required for development of all zoite stages of Plasmodium and it is part of a novel protein complex with an overall composition overlapping with but different to that of the glideosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekta Saini
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG72UH, UK
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG72UH, UK
| | - Rajan Pandey
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Gesine Kaiser
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland
| | - Ludek Koreny
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Pradeep Kumar
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Vandana Thakur
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Shreyansh Tatiya
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Nicholas J Katris
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | | | - Inderjeet Kaur
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | | | - Andrew R Bottrill
- Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry Laboratory, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE2 7LX, UK
| | - David S Guttery
- Department of Cancer studies, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE2 7LX, UK
| | - Ross F Waller
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Volker Heussler
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland
| | | | - Asif Mohmmed
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Pawan Malhotra
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India.
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG72UH, UK.
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33
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Green JL, Wall RJ, Vahokoski J, Yusuf NA, Ridzuan MAM, Stanway RR, Stock J, Knuepfer E, Brady D, Martin SR, Howell SA, Pires IP, Moon RW, Molloy JE, Kursula I, Tewari R, Holder AA. Compositional and expression analyses of the glideosome during the Plasmodium life cycle reveal an additional myosin light chain required for maximum motility. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:17857-17875. [PMID: 28893907 PMCID: PMC5663884 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.802769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Revised: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Myosin A (MyoA) is a Class XIV myosin implicated in gliding motility and host cell and tissue invasion by malaria parasites. MyoA is part of a membrane-associated protein complex called the glideosome, which is essential for parasite motility and includes the MyoA light chain myosin tail domain-interacting protein (MTIP) and several glideosome-associated proteins (GAPs). However, most studies of MyoA have focused on single stages of the parasite life cycle. We examined MyoA expression throughout the Plasmodium berghei life cycle in both mammalian and insect hosts. In extracellular ookinetes, sporozoites, and merozoites, MyoA was located at the parasite periphery. In the sexual stages, zygote formation and initial ookinete differentiation precede MyoA synthesis and deposition, which occurred only in the developing protuberance. In developing intracellular asexual blood stages, MyoA was synthesized in mature schizonts and was located at the periphery of segmenting merozoites, where it remained throughout maturation, merozoite egress, and host cell invasion. Besides the known GAPs in the malaria parasite, the complex included GAP40, an additional myosin light chain designated essential light chain (ELC), and several other candidate components. This ELC bound the MyoA neck region adjacent to the MTIP-binding site, and both myosin light chains co-located to the glideosome. Co-expression of MyoA with its two light chains revealed that the presence of both light chains enhances MyoA-dependent actin motility. In conclusion, we have established a system to study the interplay and function of the three glideosome components, enabling the assessment of inhibitors that target this motor complex to block host cell invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard J Wall
- the School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Juha Vahokoski
- the Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | - Rebecca R Stanway
- the Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland, and
| | - Jessica Stock
- the School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | | | - Declan Brady
- the School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Isa P Pires
- the Biocenter Oulu and Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, Aapistie 7, 90220 Oulu, Finland
| | | | - Justin E Molloy
- Single Molecule Enzymology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Inari Kursula
- the Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway.,the Biocenter Oulu and Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, Aapistie 7, 90220 Oulu, Finland
| | - Rita Tewari
- the School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
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Diez Benavente E, Florez de Sessions P, Moon RW, Holder AA, Blackman MJ, Roper C, Drakeley CJ, Pain A, Sutherland CJ, Hibberd ML, Campino S, Clark TG. Analysis of nuclear and organellar genomes of Plasmodium knowlesi in humans reveals ancient population structure and recent recombination among host-specific subpopulations. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1007008. [PMID: 28922357 PMCID: PMC5619863 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The macaque parasite Plasmodium knowlesi is a significant concern in Malaysia where cases of human infection are increasing. Parasites infecting humans originate from genetically distinct subpopulations associated with the long-tailed (Macaca fascicularis (Mf)) or pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina (Mn)). We used a new high-quality reference genome to re-evaluate previously described subpopulations among human and macaque isolates from Malaysian-Borneo and Peninsular-Malaysia. Nuclear genomes were dimorphic, as expected, but new evidence of chromosomal-segment exchanges between subpopulations was found. A large segment on chromosome 8 originating from the Mn subpopulation and containing genes encoding proteins expressed in mosquito-borne parasite stages, was found in Mf genotypes. By contrast, non-recombining organelle genomes partitioned into 3 deeply branched lineages, unlinked with nuclear genomic dimorphism. Subpopulations which diverged in isolation have re-connected, possibly due to deforestation and disruption of wild macaque habitats. The resulting genomic mosaics reveal traits selected by host-vector-parasite interactions in a setting of ecological transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest Diez Benavente
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Robert W. Moon
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Michael J. Blackman
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Cally Roper
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher J. Drakeley
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Arnab Pain
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Colin J. Sutherland
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Martin L. Hibberd
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Genome Institute of Singapore, Biopolis, Singapore
| | - Susana Campino
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Taane G. Clark
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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35
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Knuepfer E, Napiorkowska M, van Ooij C, Holder AA. Generating conditional gene knockouts in Plasmodium - a toolkit to produce stable DiCre recombinase-expressing parasite lines using CRISPR/Cas9. Sci Rep 2017. [PMID: 28634346 PMCID: PMC5478596 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03984-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful establishment of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology in Plasmodium spp. has provided a powerful tool to transform Plasmodium falciparum into a genetically more tractable organism. Conditional gene regulation approaches are required to study the function of gene products critical for growth and erythrocyte invasion of blood stage parasites. Here we employ CRISPR/Cas9 to facilitate use of the dimerisable Cre-recombinase (DiCre) that is frequently used to mediate the excision and loss of loxP-flanked DNA sequences in a rapamycin controlled manner. We describe novel CRISPR/Cas9 transfection plasmids and approaches for the speedy, stable and marker-free introduction of transgenes encoding the DiCre recombinase into genomic loci dispensable for blood stage development. Together these plasmids form a toolkit that will allow the rapid generation of transgenic DiCre-expressing P. falciparum lines in any genetic background. Furthermore, the newly developed 3D7-derived parasite lines, constitutively and stably expressing DiCre, generated using this toolkit will prove useful for the analysis of gene products. Lastly, we introduce an improved treatment protocol that uses a lower rapamycin concentration and shorter treatment times, leading to loxP-guided recombination with close to 100% efficiency within the same replication cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Knuepfer
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom.
| | - Marta Napiorkowska
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom.,Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, Basel, 4058, Switzerland
| | - Christiaan van Ooij
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom.
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom.
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36
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Diaz SA, Martin SR, Howell SA, Grainger M, Moon RW, Green JL, Holder AA. The Binding of Plasmodium falciparum Adhesins and Erythrocyte Invasion Proteins to Aldolase Is Enhanced by Phosphorylation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161850. [PMID: 27607074 PMCID: PMC5015959 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/14/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Aldolase has been implicated as a protein coupling the actomyosin motor and cell surface adhesins involved in motility and host cell invasion in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. It binds to the cytoplasmic domain (CTD) of type 1 membrane proteins of the thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) family. Other type 1 membrane proteins located in the apical organelles of merozoites, the form of the parasite that invades red blood cells, including apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) and members of the erythrocyte binding ligand (EBL) and reticulocyte binding homologue (RH) protein families have been implicated in host cell binding and invasion. Using a direct binding method we confirm that TRAP and merozoite TRAP (MTRAP) bind aldolase and show that the interaction is mediated by more than just the C-terminal six amino acid residues identified previously. Single amino acid substitutions in the MTRAP CTD abolished binding to aldolase. The CTDs of AMA1 and members of the EBL and RH protein families also bound to aldolase. MTRAP competed with AMA1 and RH4 for binding to aldolase, indicating overlapping binding sites. MTRAP CTD was phosphorylated in vitro by both calcium dependent kinase 1 (CDPK1) and protein kinase A, and this modification increased the affinity of binding to aldolase by ten-fold. Phosphorylation of the CTD of members of the EBL and RH protein families also increased their affinity for aldolase in some cases. To examine whether or not MTRAP expressed in asexual blood stage parasites is phosphorylated, it was tagged with GFP, purified and analysed, however no phosphorylation was detected. We propose that CTD binding to aldolase may be dynamically modulated by phosphorylation, and there may be competition for aldolase binding between different CTDs. The use and efficiency of alternate invasion pathways may be determined by the affinity of adhesins and cell invasion proteins for aldolase, in addition to their host ligand specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suraya A. Diaz
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen R. Martin
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Steven A. Howell
- Mass Spectrometry Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Munira Grainger
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Robert W. Moon
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Judith L. Green
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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37
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Crosnier C, Iqbal Z, Knuepfer E, Maciuca S, Perrin AJ, Kamuyu G, Goulding D, Bustamante LY, Miles A, Moore SC, Dougan G, Holder AA, Kwiatkowski DP, Rayner JC, Pleass RJ, Wright GJ. Binding of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Proteins DBLMSP and DBLMSP2 to Human Immunoglobulin M Is Conserved among Broadly Diverged Sequence Variants. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:14285-14299. [PMID: 27226583 PMCID: PMC4933183 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.722074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Diversity at pathogen genetic loci can be driven by host adaptive immune selection pressure and may reveal proteins important for parasite biology. Population-based genome sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria, has highlighted two related polymorphic genes called dblmsp and dblmsp2, which encode Duffy binding-like (DBL) domain-containing proteins located on the merozoite surface but whose function remains unknown. Using recombinant proteins and transgenic parasites, we show that DBLMSP and DBLMSP2 directly and avidly bind human IgM via their DBL domains. We used whole genome sequence data from over 400 African and Asian P. falciparum isolates to show that dblmsp and dblmsp2 exhibit extreme protein polymorphism in their DBL domain, with multiple variants of two major allelic classes present in every population tested. Despite this variability, the IgM binding function was retained across diverse sequence representatives. Although this interaction did not seem to have an effect on the ability of the parasite to invade red blood cells, binding of DBLMSP and DBLMSP2 to IgM inhibited the overall immunoreactivity of these proteins to IgG from patients who had been exposed to the parasite. This suggests that IgM binding might mask these proteins from the host humoral immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Crosnier
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom; Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Zamin Iqbal
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Sorina Maciuca
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Abigail J Perrin
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom; Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Gathoni Kamuyu
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - David Goulding
- Microbial Pathogenesis Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Leyla Y Bustamante
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair Miles
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom; Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Shona C Moore
- Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom; Warwick Systems Biology Centre, Senate House, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Gordon Dougan
- Microbial Pathogenesis Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Dominic P Kwiatkowski
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom; Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Julian C Rayner
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Richard J Pleass
- Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin J Wright
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom; Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom.
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38
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Yu Z, Brannigan JA, Rangachari K, Heal WP, Wilkinson AJ, Holder AA, Leatherbarrow RJ, Tate EW. Discovery of pyridyl-based inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum N-myristoyltransferase. Medchemcomm 2015; 6:1767-1772. [PMID: 26962430 PMCID: PMC4757856 DOI: 10.1039/c5md00242g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT) represents an attractive drug target in parasitic infections such as malaria due to its genetic essentiality and amenability to inhibition by drug-like small molecules. Scaffold simplification from previously reported inhibitors containing bicyclic cores identified phenyl derivative 3, providing a versatile platform to study the effects of substitution on the scaffold, which yielded pyridyl 19. This molecule exhibited improved enzyme and cellular potency, and reduced lipophilicity compared to inhibitor 3. Further structure-based inhibitor design led to the discovery of 30, the most potent inhibitor in this series, which showed single-digit nM enzyme affinity and sub-μM anti-plasmodial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyong Yu
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)2075 943 752
| | - James A Brannigan
- York Structural Biology Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of York , York , YO10 5DD , UK
| | - Kaveri Rangachari
- The Francis Crick Institute , Mill Hill Laboratory , The Ridgeway , London , NW7 1AA , UK
| | - William P Heal
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)2075 943 752
| | - Anthony J Wilkinson
- York Structural Biology Laboratory , Department of Chemistry , University of York , York , YO10 5DD , UK
| | - Anthony A Holder
- The Francis Crick Institute , Mill Hill Laboratory , The Ridgeway , London , NW7 1AA , UK
| | - Robin J Leatherbarrow
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)2075 943 752
| | - Edward W Tate
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London , SW7 2AZ , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)2075 943 752
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39
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Guttery DS, Roques M, Holder AA, Tewari R. Commit and Transmit: Molecular Players in Plasmodium Sexual Development and Zygote Differentiation. Trends Parasitol 2015; 31:676-685. [PMID: 26440790 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2015.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2015] [Revised: 08/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
During each cycle of asexual endomitotic division in erythrocytes, the malaria parasite makes a fundamental and crucial decision: to continue to invade and proliferate or to differentiate into gametocytes ready for continuation of sexual development. The proteins and regulatory pathways involved in Plasmodium sexual development have been of great interest in recent years as targets for blocking malaria transmission. However, the 'Holy Grail', the master switch orchestrating asexual-to-sexual commitment and further differentiation, has remained elusive - until now. Here we highlight the recent studies identifying the epigenetic and transcriptional master regulators of sexual commitment and discuss the key players in reversible phosphorylation pathways involved in sexual and zygote differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Guttery
- Cell and Developmental Biology Group, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK; Department of Cancer Studies and Cancer Research UK Leicester Centre, University of Leicester, Robert Kilpatrick Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK
| | - Magali Roques
- Cell and Developmental Biology Group, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Mill Hill Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK
| | - Rita Tewari
- Cell and Developmental Biology Group, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK.
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40
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Guttery DS, Poulin B, Ramaprasad A, Wall RJ, Ferguson DJP, Brady D, Patzewitz EM, Whipple S, Straschil U, Wright MH, Mohamed AMAH, Radhakrishnan A, Arold ST, Tate EW, Holder AA, Wickstead B, Pain A, Tewari R. Genome-wide functional analysis of Plasmodium protein phosphatases reveals key regulators of parasite development and differentiation. Cell Host Microbe 2015; 16:128-40. [PMID: 25011111 PMCID: PMC4094981 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2014.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Revised: 04/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Reversible protein phosphorylation regulated by kinases and phosphatases controls many cellular processes. Although essential functions for the malaria parasite kinome have been reported, the roles of most protein phosphatases (PPs) during Plasmodium development are unknown. We report a functional analysis of the Plasmodium berghei protein phosphatome, which exhibits high conservation with the P. falciparum phosphatome and comprises 30 predicted PPs with differential and distinct expression patterns during various stages of the life cycle. Gene disruption analysis of P. berghei PPs reveals that half of the genes are likely essential for asexual blood stage development, whereas six are required for sexual development/sporogony in mosquitoes. Phenotypic screening coupled with transcriptome sequencing unveiled morphological changes and altered gene expression in deletion mutants of two N-myristoylated PPs. These findings provide systematic functional analyses of PPs in Plasmodium, identify how phosphatases regulate parasite development and differentiation, and can inform the identification of drug targets for malaria. Phylogenetic analysis identifies 30 Plasmodium berghei protein phosphatases (PPs) Functional analysis reveals role for six PPs in sexual development/sporogony Two N-myristoylated PPs play key roles in sex allocation and parasite transmission RNA-Seq highlights significantly altered gene clusters in the N-myristoylated PP mutants
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Guttery
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK
| | - Benoit Poulin
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK
| | - Abhinay Ramaprasad
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Richard J Wall
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK
| | - David J P Ferguson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Declan Brady
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK
| | - Eva-Maria Patzewitz
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK
| | - Sarah Whipple
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK
| | - Ursula Straschil
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Megan H Wright
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Alyaa M A H Mohamed
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Anand Radhakrishnan
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Stefan T Arold
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Edward W Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.
| | - Bill Wickstead
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK
| | - Arnab Pain
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Rita Tewari
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, UK.
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41
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Lasonder E, Green JL, Grainger M, Langsley G, Holder AA. Extensive differential protein phosphorylation as intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum schizonts develop into extracellular invasive merozoites. Proteomics 2015; 15:2716-29. [PMID: 25886026 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201400508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Revised: 02/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Pathology of the most lethal form of malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum asexual blood stages and initiated by merozoite invasion of erythrocytes. We present a phosphoproteome analysis of extracellular merozoites revealing 1765 unique phosphorylation sites including 785 sites not previously detected in schizonts. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001684 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD001684). The observed differential phosphorylation between extra and intraerythrocytic life-cycle stages was confirmed using both phospho-site and phospho-motif specific antibodies and is consistent with the core motif [K/R]xx[pS/pT] being highly represented in merozoite phosphoproteins. Comparative bioinformatic analyses highlighted protein sets and pathways with established roles in invasion. Within the merozoite phosphoprotein interaction network a subnetwork of 119 proteins with potential roles in cellular movement and invasion was identified and suggested that it is coregulated by a further small subnetwork of protein kinase A (PKA), two calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs), a phosphatidyl inositol kinase (PI3K), and a GCN2-like elF2-kinase with a predicted role in translational arrest and associated changes in the ubquitinome. To test this notion experimentally, we examined the overall ubiquitination level in intracellular schizonts versus extracellular merozoites and found it highly upregulated in merozoites. We propose that alterations in the phosphoproteome and ubiquitinome reflect a starvation-induced translational arrest as intracellular schizonts transform into extracellular merozoites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Lasonder
- School of Biomedical and Healthcare Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, UK
| | - Judith L Green
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, UK
| | - Munira Grainger
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, UK
| | - Gordon Langsley
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Comparative des Apicomplexes, Faculté de Médicine, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, France.,Inserm U1016, CNRS UMR8104, Institut Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Anthony A Holder
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, UK
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42
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Thavayogarajah T, Gangopadhyay P, Rahlfs S, Becker K, Lingelbach K, Przyborski JM, Holder AA. Alternative Protein Secretion in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125191. [PMID: 25909331 PMCID: PMC4409355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum invades human red blood cells, residing in a parasitophorous vacuole (PV), with a parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) separating the PV from the host cell cytoplasm. Here we have investigated the role of N-myristoylation and two other N-terminal motifs, a cysteine potential S-palmitoylation site and a stretch of basic residues, as the driving force for protein targeting to the parasite plasma membrane (PPM) and subsequent translocation across this membrane. Plasmodium falciparum adenylate kinase 2 (Pf AK2) contains these three motifs, and was previously proposed to be targeted beyond the parasite to the PVM, despite the absence of a signal peptide for entry into the classical secretory pathway. Biochemical and microscopy analyses of PfAK2 variants tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) showed that these three motifs are involved in targeting the protein to the PPM and translocation across the PPM to the PV. It was shown that the N-terminal 37 amino acids of PfAK2 alone are sufficient to target and translocate GFP across the PPM. As a control we examined the N-myristoylated P. falciparum ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (PfARF1). PfARF1 was found to co-localise with a Golgi marker. To determine whether or not the putative palmitoylation and the cluster of lysine residues from the N-terminus of PfAK2 would modulate the subcellular localization of PfARF1, a chimeric fusion protein containing the N-terminus of PfARF1 and the two additional PfAK2 motifs was analysed. This chimeric protein was targeted to the PPM, but not translocated across the membrane into the PV, indicating that other features of the N-terminus of PfAK2 also play a role in the secretion process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuvaraka Thavayogarajah
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Preetish Gangopadhyay
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Rahlfs
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Katja Becker
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Klaus Lingelbach
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Jude M. Przyborski
- Division of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
- * E-mail: (AAH); (JMP)
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- The Francis Crick Institute Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (AAH); (JMP)
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Yusuf NA, Green JL, Wall RJ, Knuepfer E, Moon RW, Schulte-Huxel C, Stanway RR, Martin SR, Howell SA, Douse CH, Cota E, Tate EW, Tewari R, Holder AA. The Plasmodium Class XIV Myosin, MyoB, Has a Distinct Subcellular Location in Invasive and Motile Stages of the Malaria Parasite and an Unusual Light Chain. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:12147-64. [PMID: 25802338 PMCID: PMC4424349 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.637694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Myosin B (MyoB) is one of the two short class XIV myosins encoded in the Plasmodium genome. Class XIV myosins are characterized by a catalytic "head," a modified "neck," and the absence of a "tail" region. Myosin A (MyoA), the other class XIV myosin in Plasmodium, has been established as a component of the glideosome complex important in motility and cell invasion, but MyoB is not well characterized. We analyzed the properties of MyoB using three parasite species as follows: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium berghei, and Plasmodium knowlesi. MyoB is expressed in all invasive stages (merozoites, ookinetes, and sporozoites) of the life cycle, and the protein is found in a discrete apical location in these polarized cells. In P. falciparum, MyoB is synthesized very late in schizogony/merogony, and its location in merozoites is distinct from, and anterior to, that of a range of known proteins present in the rhoptries, rhoptry neck or micronemes. Unlike MyoA, MyoB is not associated with glideosome complex proteins, including the MyoA light chain, myosin A tail domain-interacting protein (MTIP). A unique MyoB light chain (MLC-B) was identified that contains a calmodulin-like domain at the C terminus and an extended N-terminal region. MLC-B localizes to the same extreme apical pole in the cell as MyoB, and the two proteins form a complex. We propose that MLC-B is a MyoB-specific light chain, and for the short class XIV myosins that lack a tail region, the atypical myosin light chains may fulfill that role.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Richard J Wall
- the School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Rebecca R Stanway
- the Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland, and
| | | | - Steven A Howell
- Molecular Structure, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher H Douse
- the Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Ernesto Cota
- the Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Edward W Tate
- the Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Rita Tewari
- the School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 7UH, United Kingdom
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44
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Stallmach R, Kavishwar M, Withers-Martinez C, Hackett F, Collins CR, Howell SA, Yeoh S, Knuepfer E, Atid AJ, Holder AA, Blackman MJ. Plasmodium falciparum SERA5 plays a non-enzymatic role in the malarial asexual blood-stage lifecycle. Mol Microbiol 2015; 96:368-87. [PMID: 25599609 PMCID: PMC4671257 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/18/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum replicates in an intraerythrocytic parasitophorous vacuole (PV). The most abundant P. falciparum PV protein, called SERA5, is essential in blood stages and possesses a papain-like domain, prompting speculation that it functions as a proteolytic enzyme. Unusually however, SERA5 possesses a Ser residue (Ser596) at the position of the canonical catalytic Cys of papain-like proteases, and the function of SERA5 or whether it performs an enzymatic role is unknown. In this study, we failed to detect proteolytic activity associated with the Ser596-containing parasite-derived or recombinant protein. However, substitution of Ser596 with a Cys residue produced an active recombinant enzyme with characteristics of a cysteine protease, demonstrating that SERA5 can bind peptides. Using targeted homologous recombination in P. falciparum, we substituted Ser596 with Ala with no phenotypic consequences, proving that SERA5 does not perform an essential enzymatic role in the parasite. We could also replace an internal segment of SERA5 with an affinity-purification tag. In contrast, using almost identical targeting constructs, we could not truncate or C-terminally tag the SERA5 gene, or replace Ser596 with a bulky Arg residue. Our findings show that SERA5 plays an indispensable but non-enzymatic role in the P. falciparum blood-stage life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Stallmach
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London, NW7 1AA, UK
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45
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Otto TD, Böhme U, Jackson AP, Hunt M, Franke-Fayard B, Hoeijmakers WAM, Religa AA, Robertson L, Sanders M, Ogun SA, Cunningham D, Erhart A, Billker O, Khan SM, Stunnenberg HG, Langhorne J, Holder AA, Waters AP, Newbold CI, Pain A, Berriman M, Janse CJ. A comprehensive evaluation of rodent malaria parasite genomes and gene expression. BMC Biol 2014; 12:86. [PMID: 25359557 PMCID: PMC4242472 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-014-0086-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Rodent malaria parasites (RMP) are used extensively as models of human malaria. Draft RMP genomes have been published for Plasmodium yoelii, P. berghei ANKA (PbA) and P. chabaudi AS (PcAS). Although availability of these genomes made a significant impact on recent malaria research, these genomes were highly fragmented and were annotated with little manual curation. The fragmented nature of the genomes has hampered genome wide analysis of Plasmodium gene regulation and function. Results We have greatly improved the genome assemblies of PbA and PcAS, newly sequenced the virulent parasite P. yoelii YM genome, sequenced additional RMP isolates/lines and have characterized genotypic diversity within RMP species. We have produced RNA-seq data and utilised it to improve gene-model prediction and to provide quantitative, genome-wide, data on gene expression. Comparison of the RMP genomes with the genome of the human malaria parasite P. falciparum and RNA-seq mapping permitted gene annotation at base-pair resolution. Full-length chromosomal annotation permitted a comprehensive classification of all subtelomeric multigene families including the ‘Plasmodium interspersed repeat genes’ (pir). Phylogenetic classification of the pir family, combined with pir expression patterns, indicates functional diversification within this family. Conclusions Complete RMP genomes, RNA-seq and genotypic diversity data are excellent and important resources for gene-function and post-genomic analyses and to better interrogate Plasmodium biology. Genotypic diversity between P. chabaudi isolates makes this species an excellent parasite to study genotype-phenotype relationships. The improved classification of multigene families will enhance studies on the role of (variant) exported proteins in virulence and immune evasion/modulation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-014-0086-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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46
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Diaz SA, Martin SR, Grainger M, Howell SA, Green JL, Holder AA. Plasmodium falciparum aldolase and the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of certain apical organellar proteins promote actin polymerization. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2014; 197:9-14. [PMID: 25261592 PMCID: PMC4251702 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2014.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The current model of Apicomplexan motility and host cell invasion is that both processes are driven by an actomyosin motor located beneath the plasma membrane, with the force transduced to the outside of the cell via coupling through aldolase and the cytoplasmic tail domains (CTDs) of certain type 1 membrane proteins. In Plasmodium falciparum (Pf), aldolase is thought to bind to the CTD of members of the thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) family, which are micronemal proteins and represented by MTRAP in merozoites. Other type 1 membrane proteins including members of the erythrocyte binding antigen (EBA) and reticulocyte binding protein homologue (RH) protein families, which are also apical organellar proteins, have also been implicated in host cell binding in erythrocyte invasion. However, recent studies with Toxoplasma gondii have questioned the importance of aldolase in these processes. Using biolayer interferometry we show that Pf aldolase binds with high affinity to both rabbit and Pf actin, with a similar affinity for filamentous (F-) actin and globular (G-) actin. The interaction between Pf aldolase and merozoite actin was confirmed by co-sedimentation assays. Aldolase binding was shown to promote rabbit actin polymerization indicating that the interaction is more complicated than binding alone. The CTDs of some but not all type 1 membrane proteins also promoted actin polymerization in the absence of aldolase; MTRAP and RH1 CTDs promoted actin polymerization but EBA175 CTD did not. Direct actin polymerization mediated by membrane protein CTDs may contribute to actin recruitment, filament formation and stability during motor assembly, and actin-mediated movement, independent of aldolase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suraya A Diaz
- Divisions of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen R Martin
- Physical Biochemistry, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Munira Grainger
- Divisions of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Steven A Howell
- Molecular Structure, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Judith L Green
- Divisions of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Divisions of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom.
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47
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Chapman TM, Osborne SA, Wallace C, Birchall K, Bouloc N, Jones HM, Ansell KH, Taylor DL, Clough B, Green JL, Holder AA. Optimization of an imidazopyridazine series of inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum calcium-dependent protein kinase 1 (PfCDPK1). J Med Chem 2014; 57:3570-87. [PMID: 24689770 PMCID: PMC4024065 DOI: 10.1021/jm500342d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
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A structure-guided
design approach using a homology model of Plasmodium falciparum calcium-dependent protein kinase 1
(PfCDPK1) was used to improve the potency of a series
of imidazopyridazine inhibitors as potential antimalarial agents.
This resulted in high affinity compounds with PfCDPK1
enzyme IC50 values less than 10 nM and in vitroP. falciparum antiparasite EC50 values
down to 12 nM, although these compounds did not have suitable ADME
properties to show in vivo efficacy in a mouse model.
Structural modifications designed to address the ADME issues, in particular
permeability, were initially accompanied by losses in antiparasite
potency, but further optimization allowed a good balance in the compound
profile to be achieved. Upon testing in vivo in a
murine model of efficacy against malaria, high levels of compound
exposure relative to their in vitro activities were
achieved, and the modest efficacy that resulted raises questions about
the level of effect that is achievable through the targeting of PfCDPK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M Chapman
- Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, MRC Technology , 1-3 Burtonhole Lane, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AD, U.K
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Rackham MD, Brannigan JA, Rangachari K, Meister S, Wilkinson AJ, Holder AA, Leatherbarrow RJ, Tate EW. Design and synthesis of high affinity inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax N-myristoyltransferases directed by ligand efficiency dependent lipophilicity (LELP). J Med Chem 2014; 57:2773-88. [PMID: 24641010 PMCID: PMC4048319 DOI: 10.1021/jm500066b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT) is an essential eukaryotic enzyme and an attractive drug target in parasitic infections such as malaria. We have previously reported that 2-(3-(piperidin-4-yloxy)benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-5-((1,3,5-trimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (34c) is a high affinity inhibitor of both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax NMT and displays activity in vivo against a rodent malaria model. Here we describe the discovery of 34c through optimization of a previously described series. Development, guided by targeting a ligand efficiency dependent lipophilicity (LELP) score of less than 10, yielded a 100-fold increase in enzyme affinity and a 100-fold drop in lipophilicity with the addition of only two heavy atoms. 34c was found to be equipotent on chloroquine-sensitive and -resistant cell lines and on both blood and liver stage forms of the parasite. These data further validate NMT as an exciting drug target in malaria and support 34c as an attractive tool for further optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D Rackham
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ, U.K
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Grüring C, Moon RW, Lim C, Holder AA, Blackman MJ, Duraisingh MT. Human red blood cell-adapted Plasmodium knowlesi parasites: a new model system for malaria research. Cell Microbiol 2014; 16:612-20. [PMID: 24506567 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Revised: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Plasmodium knowlesi is a simian malaria parasite primarily infecting macaque species in Southeast Asia. Although its capacity to infect humans has been recognized since the early part of the last century, it has recently become evident that human infections are widespread and potentially life threatening. Historically, P. knowlesi has proven to be a powerful tool in early studies of malaria parasites, providing key breakthroughs in understanding many aspects of Plasmodium biology. However, the necessity to grow the parasite either in macaques or in vitro using macaque blood restricted research to laboratories with access to these resources. The recent adaptation of P. knowlesi to grow and proliferate in vitro in human red blood cells (RBCs) is therefore a substantial step towards revitalizing and expanding research on P. knowlesi. Furthermore, the development of a highly efficient transfection system to genetically modify the parasite makes P. knowlesi an ideal model to study parasite biology. In this review, we elaborate on the importance of P. knowlesi in earlier phases of malaria research and highlight the future potential of the newly available human adapted P. knowlesi parasite lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christof Grüring
- Department of Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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50
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Ezougou CN, Ben-Rached F, Moss DK, Lin JW, Black S, Knuepfer E, Green JL, Khan SM, Mukhopadhyay A, Janse CJ, Coppens I, Yera H, Holder AA, Langsley G. Plasmodium falciparum Rab5B is an N-terminally myristoylated Rab GTPase that is targeted to the parasite's plasma and food vacuole membranes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e87695. [PMID: 24498355 PMCID: PMC3912013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 12/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) has a family of 11 Rab GTPases to regulate its vesicular transport. However, PfRab5B is unique in lacking a C-terminal geranyl-geranylation motif, while having N-terminal palmitoylation and myristoylation motifs. We show that the N-terminal glycine is required for PfRab5B myristoylation in vitro and when an N-terminal PfRab5B fragment possessing both acylation motifs is fused to GFP and expressed in transgenic P. falciparum parasites, the chimeric PfRab5B protein localizes to the plasma membrane. Upon substitution of the modified glycine by alanine the staining becomes diffuse and GFP is found in soluble subcellular fractions. Immuno-electron microscopy shows endogenous PfRab5B decorating the parasite's plasma and food vacuole membranes. Using reverse genetics rab5b couldn't be deleted from the haploid genome of asexual blood stage P. berghei parasites. The failure of PbRab5A or PbRab5C to complement for loss of PbRab5B function indicates non-overlapping roles for the three Plasmodium Rab5s, with PfRab5B involved in trafficking MSP1 to the food vacuole membrane and CK1 to the plasma membrane. We discuss similarities between Plasmodium Rab5B and Arabidopsis thaliana ARA6, a similarly unusual Rab5-like GTPase of plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carinne Ndjembo Ezougou
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Comparative des Apicomplexes, Département d'Immunologie, Inflammation et Infection, Faculté de Médicine, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Institut National de Recherche Médicale U1016, Centre National Recherche Scientifique UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France
| | - Fathia Ben-Rached
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Comparative des Apicomplexes, Département d'Immunologie, Inflammation et Infection, Faculté de Médicine, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Institut National de Recherche Médicale U1016, Centre National Recherche Scientifique UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France
| | - David K. Moss
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jing-wen Lin
- Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sally Black
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, United Kingdom
| | - Judith L. Green
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, United Kingdom
| | - Shahid M. Khan
- Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Chris J. Janse
- Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Isabelle Coppens
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Hélène Yera
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Comparative des Apicomplexes, Département d'Immunologie, Inflammation et Infection, Faculté de Médicine, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Institut National de Recherche Médicale U1016, Centre National Recherche Scientifique UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gordon Langsley
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Comparative des Apicomplexes, Département d'Immunologie, Inflammation et Infection, Faculté de Médicine, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Institut National de Recherche Médicale U1016, Centre National Recherche Scientifique UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France
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