1
|
Kehrer J, Formaglio P, Muthinja JM, Weber S, Baltissen D, Lance C, Ripp J, Grech J, Meissner M, Funaya C, Amino R, Frischknecht F. Plasmodium
sporozoite disintegration during skin passage limits malaria parasite transmission. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e54719. [PMID: 35403820 PMCID: PMC9253755 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202254719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
During transmission of malaria‐causing parasites from mosquitoes to mammals, Plasmodium sporozoites migrate rapidly in the skin to search for a blood vessel. The high migratory speed and narrow passages taken by the parasites suggest considerable strain on the sporozoites to maintain their shape. Here, we show that the membrane‐associated protein, concavin, is important for the maintenance of the Plasmodium sporozoite shape inside salivary glands of mosquitoes and during migration in the skin. Concavin‐GFP localizes at the cytoplasmic periphery and concavin(−) sporozoites progressively round up upon entry of salivary glands. Rounded concavin(−) sporozoites fail to pass through the narrow salivary ducts and are rarely ejected by mosquitoes, while normally shaped concavin(−) sporozoites are transmitted. Strikingly, motile concavin(−) sporozoites disintegrate while migrating through the skin leading to parasite arrest or death and decreased transmission efficiency. Collectively, we suggest that concavin contributes to cell shape maintenance by riveting the plasma membrane to the subtending inner membrane complex. Interfering with cell shape maintenance pathways might hence provide a new strategy to prevent a malaria infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Kehrer
- Integrative Parasitology Center for Infectious Diseases Heidelberg University Medical School Heidelberg Germany
- Infectious Diseases Imaging Platform Center for Infectious Diseases Heidelberg University Medical School Heidelberg Germany
| | - Pauline Formaglio
- Malaria Infection and Immunity Unit Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors Institut Pasteur Paris France
| | - Julianne Mendi Muthinja
- Integrative Parasitology Center for Infectious Diseases Heidelberg University Medical School Heidelberg Germany
| | - Sebastian Weber
- Electron Microscopy Core Facility Heidelberg University Heidelberg Germany
| | - Danny Baltissen
- Integrative Parasitology Center for Infectious Diseases Heidelberg University Medical School Heidelberg Germany
| | - Christopher Lance
- Integrative Parasitology Center for Infectious Diseases Heidelberg University Medical School Heidelberg Germany
| | - Johanna Ripp
- Integrative Parasitology Center for Infectious Diseases Heidelberg University Medical School Heidelberg Germany
| | - Janessa Grech
- Experimental Parasitology Ludwig Maximilian University Munich Planegg‐Martinsried Germany
| | - Markus Meissner
- Experimental Parasitology Ludwig Maximilian University Munich Planegg‐Martinsried Germany
| | - Charlotta Funaya
- Electron Microscopy Core Facility Heidelberg University Heidelberg Germany
| | - Rogerio Amino
- Malaria Infection and Immunity Unit Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors Institut Pasteur Paris France
| | - Friedrich Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology Center for Infectious Diseases Heidelberg University Medical School Heidelberg Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Heidelberg Heidelberg Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Boucher LE, Hopp CS, Muthinja JM, Frischknecht F, Bosch J. Discovery of Plasmodium (M)TRAP-Aldolase Interaction Stabilizers Interfering with Sporozoite Motility and Invasion. ACS Infect Dis 2018; 4:620-634. [PMID: 29411968 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
As obligate, intracellular parasites, Plasmodium spp. rely on invasion of host cells in order to replicate and continue their life cycle. The parasite needs to traverse the dermis and endothelium of blood vessels, invade hepatocytes and red blood cells, traverse the mosquito midgut, and enter the salivary glands to continue the cycle of infection and transmission. To traverse and invade cells, the parasite employs an actomyosin motor at the core of a larger invasion machinery complex known as the glideosome. The complex is comprised of multiple protein-protein interactions linking the motor to the internal cytoskeletal network of the parasite and to the extracellular adhesins, which directly contact the host tissue or cell surface. One key interaction is between the cytoplasmic tails of the thrombospondin related anonymous protein (TRAP) and aldolase, a bridging protein to the motor. Here, we present results from screening the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) library of 400 compounds against this key protein-protein interaction. Using a surface plasmon resonance screen, we have identified several compounds that modulate the dynamics of the interaction between TRAP and aldolase. These compounds have been validated in vitro by studying their effects on sporozoite gliding motility and hepatocyte invasion. One of the MMV compounds identified reduced invasion levels by 89% at the lowest concentration tested (16 μM) and severely inhibited gliding at even lower concentrations (5 μM). By targeting protein-protein interactions, we investigated an under-explored area of parasite biology and general drug development, to identify potential antimalarial lead compounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E. Boucher
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Christine S. Hopp
- Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 5625 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20852, United States
| | - Julianne Mendi Muthinja
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Friedrich Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bosch
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- InterRayBio, LLC, 1812 Ashland Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Muthinja JM, Ripp J, Krüger T, Imle A, Haraszti T, Fackler OT, Spatz JP, Engstler M, Frischknecht F. Tailored environments to study motile cells and pathogens. Cell Microbiol 2018; 20. [PMID: 29316156 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Motile cells and pathogens migrate in complex environments and yet are mostly studied on simple 2D substrates. In order to mimic the diverse environments of motile cells, a set of assays including substrates of defined elasticity, microfluidics, micropatterns, organotypic cultures, and 3D gels have been developed. We briefly introduce these and then focus on the use of micropatterned pillar arrays, which help to bridge the gap between 2D and 3D. These structures are made from polydimethylsiloxane, a moldable plastic, and their use has revealed new insights into mechanoperception in Caenorhabditis elegans, gliding motility of Plasmodium, swimming of trypanosomes, and nuclear stability in cancer cells. These studies contributed to our understanding of how the environment influences the respective cell and inform on how the cells adapt to their natural surroundings on a cellular and molecular level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julianne Mendi Muthinja
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Johanna Ripp
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Timothy Krüger
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Biocenter, Würzburg University, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Imle
- Integrative Virology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tamás Haraszti
- Department of Cellular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and Institute of Physical Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.,Deutsches Wollforschungsinstitut-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Aachen, Germany
| | - Oliver T Fackler
- Integrative Virology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Joachim P Spatz
- Department of Cellular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and Institute of Physical Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Engstler
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Biocenter, Würzburg University, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Friedrich Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|