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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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Stanway RR, Bushell E, Chiappino-Pepe A, Roques M, Sanderson T, Franke-Fayard B, Caldelari R, Golomingi M, Nyonda M, Pandey V, Schwach F, Chevalley S, Ramesar J, Metcalf T, Herd C, Burda PC, Rayner JC, Soldati-Favre D, Janse CJ, Hatzimanikatis V, Billker O, Heussler VT. Genome-Scale Identification of Essential Metabolic Processes for Targeting the Plasmodium Liver Stage. Cell 2020; 179:1112-1128.e26. [PMID: 31730853 PMCID: PMC6904910 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [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: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium gene functions in mosquito and liver stages remain poorly characterized due to limitations in the throughput of phenotyping at these stages. To fill this gap, we followed more than 1,300 barcoded P. berghei mutants through the life cycle. We discover 461 genes required for efficient parasite transmission to mosquitoes through the liver stage and back into the bloodstream of mice. We analyze the screen in the context of genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic data by building a thermodynamic model of P. berghei liver-stage metabolism, which shows a major reprogramming of parasite metabolism to achieve rapid growth in the liver. We identify seven metabolic subsystems that become essential at the liver stages compared with asexual blood stages: type II fatty acid synthesis and elongation (FAE), tricarboxylic acid, amino sugar, heme, lipoate, and shikimate metabolism. Selected predictions from the model are individually validated in single mutants to provide future targets for drug development. 1,342 barcoded P. berghei knockout (KO) mutants analyzed for stage-specific phenotypes Life-stage-specific metabolic models reveal reprogramming of cellular function High agreement between blood/liver stage metabolic models and genetic screening data Essential metabolic pathways for parasite development and mechanistic origin revealed
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca R Stanway
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Ellen Bushell
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | - Anush Chiappino-Pepe
- Laboratory of Computational Systems Biotechnology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Magali Roques
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Theo Sanderson
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Blandine Franke-Fayard
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden 2333ZA, the Netherlands
| | - Reto Caldelari
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | | | - Mary Nyonda
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Vikash Pandey
- Laboratory of Computational Systems Biotechnology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland; Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | - Frank Schwach
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Séverine Chevalley
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden 2333ZA, the Netherlands
| | - Jai Ramesar
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden 2333ZA, the Netherlands
| | - Tom Metcalf
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Colin Herd
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Paul-Christian Burda
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland; Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany
| | - Julian C Rayner
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2, 0XY, UK
| | - Dominique Soldati-Favre
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Chris J Janse
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden 2333ZA, the Netherlands
| | - Vassily Hatzimanikatis
- Laboratory of Computational Systems Biotechnology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Billker
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden.
| | - Volker T Heussler
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland.
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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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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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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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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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Kaiser G, De Niz M, Zuber B, Burda PC, Kornmann B, Heussler VT, Stanway RR. High resolution microscopy reveals an unusual architecture of the Plasmodium berghei endoplasmic reticulum. Mol Microbiol 2016; 102:775-791. [PMID: 27566438 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
To fuel the tremendously fast replication of Plasmodium liver stage parasites, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) must play a critical role as a major site of protein and lipid biosynthesis. In this study, we analysed the parasite's ER morphology and function. Previous studies exploring the parasite ER have mainly focused on the blood stage. Visualizing the Plasmodium berghei ER during liver stage development, we found that the ER forms an interconnected network throughout the parasite with perinuclear and peripheral localizations. Surprisingly, we observed that the ER additionally generates huge accumulations. Using stimulated emission depletion microscopy and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy, we defined ER accumulations as intricate dense networks of ER tubules. We provide evidence that these accumulations are functional subdivisions of the parasite ER, presumably generated in response to elevated demands of the parasite, potentially consistent with ER stress. Compared to higher eukaryotes, Plasmodium parasites have a fundamentally reduced unfolded protein response machinery for reacting to ER stress. Accordingly, parasite development is greatly impaired when ER stress is applied. As parasites appear to be more sensitive to ER stress than are host cells, induction of ER stress could potentially be used for interference with parasite development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesine Kaiser
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 2, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mariana De Niz
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Wellcome Trust Center for Molecular Parasitology, G12 8TA, Glasgow, UK
| | - Benoît Zuber
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 2, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Paul-Christian Burda
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Benoît Kornmann
- Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, Otto-Stern-Weg 3, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Volker T Heussler
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rebecca R Stanway
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstr. 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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8
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De Niz M, Stanway RR, Wacker R, Keller D, Heussler VT. An ultrasensitive NanoLuc-based luminescence system for monitoring Plasmodium berghei throughout its life cycle. Malar J 2016; 15:232. [PMID: 27102897 PMCID: PMC4840902 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-016-1291-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [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: 02/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Bioluminescence imaging is widely used for cell-based assays and animal imaging studies, both in biomedical research and drug development. Its main advantages include its high-throughput applicability, affordability, high sensitivity, operational simplicity, and quantitative outputs. In malaria research, bioluminescence has been used for drug discovery in vivo and in vitro, exploring host-pathogen interactions, and studying multiple aspects of Plasmodium biology. While the number of fluorescent proteins available for imaging has undergone a great expansion over the last two decades, enabling simultaneous visualization of multiple molecular and cellular events, expansion of available luciferases has lagged behind. The most widely used bioluminescent probe in malaria research is the Photinus pyralis firefly luciferase, followed by the more recently introduced Click-beetle and Renilla luciferases. Ultra-sensitive imaging of Plasmodium at low parasite densities has not been previously achieved. With the purpose of overcoming these challenges, a Plasmodium berghei line expressing the novel ultra-bright luciferase enzyme NanoLuc, called PbNLuc has been generated, and is presented in this work. Results NanoLuc shows at least 150 times brighter signal than firefly luciferase in vitro, allowing single parasite detection in mosquito, liver, and sexual and asexual blood stages. As a proof-of-concept, the PbNLuc parasites were used to image parasite development in the mosquito, liver and blood stages of infection, and to specifically explore parasite liver stage egress, and pre-patency period in vivo. Conclusions PbNLuc is a suitable parasite line for sensitive imaging of the entire Plasmodium life cycle. Its sensitivity makes it a promising line to be used as a reference for drug candidate testing, as well as the characterization of mutant parasites to explore the function of parasite proteins, host-parasite interactions, and the better understanding of Plasmodium biology. Since the substrate requirements of NanoLuc are different from those of firefly luciferase, dual bioluminescence imaging for the simultaneous characterization of two lines, or two separate biological processes, is possible, as demonstrated in this work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana De Niz
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Rebecca R Stanway
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rahel Wacker
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Derya Keller
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Volker T Heussler
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
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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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10
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Eickel N, Kaiser G, Prado M, Burda PC, Roelli M, Stanway RR, Heussler VT. Features of autophagic cell death in Plasmodium liver-stage parasites. Autophagy 2013; 9:568-80. [PMID: 23388496 DOI: 10.4161/auto.23689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [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: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Analyzing molecular determinants of Plasmodium parasite cell death is a promising approach for exploring new avenues in the fight against malaria. Three major forms of cell death (apoptosis, necrosis and autophagic cell death) have been described in multicellular organisms but which cell death processes exist in protozoa is still a matter of debate. Here we suggest that all three types of cell death occur in Plasmodium liver-stage parasites. Whereas typical molecular markers for apoptosis and necrosis have not been found in the genome of Plasmodium parasites, we identified genes coding for putative autophagy-marker proteins and thus concentrated on autophagic cell death. We characterized the Plasmodium berghei homolog of the prominent autophagy marker protein Atg8/LC3 and found that it localized to the apicoplast. A relocalization of PbAtg8 to autophagosome-like vesicles or vacuoles that appear in dying parasites was not, however, observed. This strongly suggests that the function of this protein in liver-stage parasites is restricted to apicoplast biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Eickel
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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11
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Deschermeier C, Hecht LS, Bach F, Rützel K, Stanway RR, Nagel A, Seeber F, Heussler VT. Mitochondrial lipoic acid scavenging is essential for Plasmodium berghei liver stage development. Cell Microbiol 2012; 14:416-30. [PMID: 22128915 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2011.01729.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Lipoic acid is an essential cofactor for enzymes that participate in key metabolic pathways in most organisms. While in mammalian cells lipoylated proteins reside exclusively in the mitochondria, apicomplexan parasites of the genus Plasmodium harbour two independent lipoylation pathways in the mitochondrion and the apicoplast, a second organelle of endosymbiotic origin. Protein lipoylation in the apicoplast relies on de novo lipoic acid synthesis while lipoylation of proteins in the mitochondrion depends on scavenging of lipoic acid from the host cell. Here, we analyse the impact of lipoic acid scavenging on the development of Plasmodium berghei liver stage parasites. Treatment of P. berghei-infected HepG2 cells with the lipoic acid analogue 8-bromo-octanoic acid (8-BOA) abolished lipoylation of mitochondrial enzyme complexes in the parasite while lipoylation of apicoplast proteins was not affected. Parasite growth as well as the ability of the parasites to successfully complete liver stage development by merosome formation were severely impaired but not completely blocked by 8-BOA. Liver stage parasites were most sensitive to 8-BOA treatment during schizogony, the phase of development when the parasite grows and undergoes extensive nuclear division to form a multinucleated syncytium. Live cell imaging as well as immunofluorescence analysis and electronmicroscopy studies revealed a close association of both host cell and parasite mitochondria with the parasitophorous vacuole membrane suggesting that host cell mitochondria might be involved in lipoic acid uptake by the parasite from the host cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Deschermeier
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department of Molecular Parasitology, Malaria Laboratory I, Hamburg, Germany.
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12
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Graewe S, Stanway RR, Rennenberg A, Heussler VT. Chronicle of a death foretold:Plasmodiumliver stage parasites decide on the fate of the host cell. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2012; 36:111-30. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00297.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2011] [Accepted: 06/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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13
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Graewe S, Rankin KE, Lehmann C, Deschermeier C, Hecht L, Froehlke U, Stanway RR, Heussler V. Hostile takeover by Plasmodium: reorganization of parasite and host cell membranes during liver stage egress. PLoS Pathog 2011; 7:e1002224. [PMID: 21909271 PMCID: PMC3164640 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [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: 02/14/2011] [Accepted: 07/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Plasmodium is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes and undergoes obligatory development within a parasitophorous vacuole in hepatocytes before it is released into the bloodstream. The transition to the blood stage was previously shown to involve the packaging of exoerythrocytic merozoites into membrane-surrounded vesicles, called merosomes, which are delivered directly into liver sinusoids. However, it was unclear whether the membrane of these merosomes was derived from the parasite membrane, the parasitophorous vacuole membrane or the host cell membrane. This knowledge is required to determine how phagocytes will be directed against merosomes. Here, we fluorescently label the candidate membranes and use live cell imaging to show that the merosome membrane derives from the host cell membrane. We also demonstrate that proteins in the host cell membrane are lost during merozoite liberation from the parasitophorous vacuole. Immediately after the breakdown of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, the host cell mitochondria begin to degenerate and protein biosynthesis arrests. The intact host cell plasma membrane surrounding merosomes allows Plasmodium to mask itself from the host immune system and bypass the numerous Kupffer cells on its way into the bloodstream. This represents an effective strategy for evading host defenses before establishing a blood stage infection. Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the developing world. It is caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes during blood feeding. In the mammalian host, Plasmodium first develops within liver cells, growing from one parasite into many thousands. After this extensive replication, the parasites are released into the blood stream in vesicles termed merosomes that are surrounded by membrane. However, the origin of this membrane was unclear due to the absence of typical host cell membrane markers. Here, we analyzed several parasite- and host cell-derived membranes and show that the merosome membrane is of host cell origin. We also demonstrate that characteristic markers are lost from the host cell membrane once the parasite is liberated from its enclosure within the cell and moves freely in the host cell. The disappearance of membrane markers seems to be a consequence of the host cell death that is triggered toward the end of parasite development in the liver cell. The simultaneous induction of host cell death and retention of an intact host cell membrane enables the Plasmodium parasite to hide from the host immune system and thus to escape elimination before establishing a blood stage infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Graewe
- Malaria Lab I, Department of Molecular Parasitology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
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14
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Stanway RR, Mueller N, Zobiak B, Graewe S, Froehlke U, Zessin PJM, Aepfelbacher M, Heussler VT. Organelle segregation into Plasmodium liver stage merozoites. Cell Microbiol 2011; 13:1768-82. [PMID: 21801293 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2011.01657.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The liver stage of the Plasmodium parasite remains one of the most promising targets for intervention against malaria as it is clinically silent, precedes the symptomatic blood stage and represents a bottleneck in the parasite life cycle. However, many aspects of the development of the parasite during this stage are far from understood. During the liver stage, the parasite undergoes extensive replication, forming tens of thousands of infectious merozoites from each invading sporozoite. This implies a very efficient and accurate process of cytokinesis and thus also of organelle development and segregation. We have generated for the first time Plasmodium berghei double-fluorescent parasite lines, allowing visualization of the apicoplast, mitochondria and nuclei in live liver stage parasites. Using these we have seen that in parallel with nuclear division, the apicoplast and mitochondrion become two extensively branched and intertwining structures. The organelles then undergo impressive morphological and positional changes prior to cell division. To form merozoites, the parasite undergoes cytokinesis and the complex process of organelle development and segregation into the forming daughter merozoites could be analysed in detail using the newly generated transgenic parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca R Stanway
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
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15
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Abstract
Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, first invade and develop within hepatocytes before infecting red blood cells and causing symptomatic disease. Because of the low infection rates in vitro and in vivo, the liver stage of Plasmodium infection is not very amenable to biochemical assays, but the large size of the parasite at this stage in comparison with Plasmodium blood stages makes it accessible to microscopic analysis. A variety of imaging techniques has been used to this aim, ranging from electron microscopy to widefield epifluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscopy. High-speed live video microscopy of fluorescent parasites in particular has radically changed our view on key events in Plasmodium liver-stage development. This includes the fate of motile sporozoites inoculated by Anopheles mosquitoes as well as the transport of merozoites within merosomes from the liver tissue into the blood vessel. It is safe to predict that in the near future the application of the latest microscopy techniques in Plasmodium research will bring important insights and allow us spectacular views of parasites during their development in the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen E Rankin
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department of Molecular Parasitology, Hamburg, Germany.
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16
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Stanway RR, Graewe S, Rennenberg A, Helm S, Heussler VT. Highly efficient subcloning of rodent malaria parasites by injection of single merosomes or detached cells. Nat Protoc 2009; 4:1433-9. [PMID: 19745825 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2009.172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
This protocol describes a method for obtaining rodent Plasmodium parasite clones with high efficiency, which takes advantage of the normal course of Plasmodium in vitro exoerythrocytic development. At the completion of development, detached cells/merosomes form, which contain hundreds to thousands of merozoites. As all parasites within a single detached cell/merosome derive from the same sporozoite, we predicted them to be genetically identical. To prove this, hepatoma cells were infected simultaneously with a mixture of Plasmodium berghei sporozoites expressing either GFP or mCherry. Subsequently, individual detached cells/merosomes from this mixed population were selected and injected into mice, resulting in clonal blood stage parasite infections. Importantly, as a large majority of mice become successfully infected using this protocol, significantly less mice are necessary than for the widely used technique of limiting dilution cloning. To produce a clonal P. berghei blood stage infection from a non-clonal infection using this procedure requires between 4 and 5 weeks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca R Stanway
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department of Molecular Parasitology, Hamburg, Germany
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17
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Heussler VT, Stanway RR. Cellular and molecular interactions between the apicomplexan parasites Plasmodium and Theileria and their host cells. Parasite 2008; 15:211-8. [PMID: 18814683 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2008153211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites of the genera Theileria and Plasmodium have complicated life cycles including infection of a vertebrate intermediate host and an arthropod definitive host. As the Plasmodium parasite progresses through its life cycle, it enters a number of different cell types, both in its mammalian and mosquito hosts. The fate of these cells varies greatly, as do the parasite and host molecules involved in parasite-host interactions. In mammals, Plasmodium parasites infect hepatocytes and erythrocytes whereas Theileria infects ruminant leukocytes and erythrocytes. Survival of Plasmodium-infected hepatocytes and Theileria-infected leukocytes depends on parasite-mediated inhibition of host cell apoptosis but only Theileria-infected cells exhibit a fully transformed phenotype. As the development of both parasites progresses towards the merozoite stage, the parasites no longer promote the survival of the host cell and the infected cell is finally destroyed to release merozoites. In this review we describe similarities and differences of parasite-host cell interactions in Plasmodium-infected hepatocytes and Theileria-infected leukocytes and compare the observed phenotypes to other parasite stages interacting with host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- V T Heussler
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Str 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
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18
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Lüder CGK, Stanway RR, Chaussepied M, Langsley G, Heussler VT. Intracellular survival of apicomplexan parasites and host cell modification. Int J Parasitol 2008; 39:163-73. [PMID: 19000910 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2008.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2008] [Revised: 09/02/2008] [Accepted: 09/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The intracellular stages of apicomplexan parasites are known to extensively modify their host cells to ensure their own survival. Recently, considerable progress has been made in understanding the molecular details of these parasite-dependent effects for Plasmodium-, Toxoplasma- and Theileria-infected cells. We have begun to understand how Plasmodium liver stage parasites protect their host hepatocytes from apoptosis during parasite development and how they induce an ordered cell death at the end of the liver stage. Toxoplasma parasites are also known to regulate host cell survival pathways and it has been convincingly demonstrated that they block host cell major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-dependent antigen presentation of parasite epitopes to avoid cell-mediated immune responses. Theileria parasites are the masters of host cell modulation because their presence immortalises the infected cell. It is now accepted that multiple pathways are activated to induce Theileria-dependent host cell transformation. Although it is now known that similar host cell pathways are affected by the different parasites, the outcome for the infected cell varies considerably. Improved imaging techniques and new methods to control expression of parasite and host cell proteins will help us to analyse the molecular details of parasite-dependent host cell modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten G K Lüder
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Kreuzbergring 57, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
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19
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Raine JD, Ecker A, Mendoza J, Tewari R, Stanway RR, Sinden RE. Female inheritance of malarial lap genes is essential for mosquito transmission. PLoS Pathog 2007; 3:e30. [PMID: 17335349 PMCID: PMC1808070 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.0030030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [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: 08/21/2006] [Accepted: 01/16/2007] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the LCCL/lectin adhesive-like protein (LAP) family, a family of six putative secreted proteins with predicted adhesive extracellular domains, have all been detected in the sexual and sporogonic stages of Plasmodium and have previously been predicted to play a role in parasite–mosquito interactions and/or immunomodulation. In this study we have investigated the function of PbLAP1, 2, 4, and 6. Through phenotypic analysis of Plasmodium berghei loss-of-function mutants, we have demonstrated that PbLAP2, 4, and 6, as previously shown for PbLAP1, are critical for oocyst maturation and sporozoite formation, and essential for transmission from mosquitoes to mice. Sporozoite formation was rescued by a genetic cross with wild-type parasites, which results in the production of heterokaryotic polyploid ookinetes and oocysts, and ultimately infective Δpblap sporozoites, but not if the individual Δpblap parasite lines were crossed amongst each other. Genetic crosses with female-deficient (Δpbs47) and male-deficient (Δpbs48/45) parasites show that the lethal phenotype is only rescued when the wild-type pblap gene is inherited from a female gametocyte, thus explaining the failure to rescue in the crosses between different Δpblap parasite lines. We conclude that the functions of PbLAPs1, 2, 4, and 6 are critical prior to the expression of the male-derived gene after microgametogenesis, fertilization, and meiosis, possibly in the gametocyte-to-ookinete period of differentiation. The phenotypes detectable by cytological methods in the oocyst some 10 d after the critical period of activity suggests key roles of the LAPs or LAP-dependent processes in the regulation of the cell cycle, possibly in the regulation of cytoplasm-to-nuclear ratio, and, importantly, in the events of cytokinesis at sporozoite formation. This phenotype is not seen in the other dividing forms of the mutant parasite lines in the liver and blood stages. Malaria parasites are transmitted between human hosts by female mosquitoes. Following fertilization between male and female gametes in the blood meal, zygotes develop into motile ookinetes that, 24 hours later, cross the mosquito midgut epithelium and encyst on the midgut wall. During this development, parasite numbers fall dramatically and as such, this may be an ideal point at which to disrupt transmission, but first essential parasite targets need to be identified. A protein family implicated in the interactions between parasites and mosquitoes is the LCCL/lectin adhesive-like protein (LAP) family. LAPs are highly expressed in the sexual and ookinete stages, yet when we removed genes encoding each of four LAPs from the genome of a rodent model malaria parasite, a developmental defect was only observed in the oocyst some ten days after the protein was first expressed. These “knockout” parasites did not undergo normal replication and consequently could not be transmitted to mice. Through genetic crosses with parasite mutants producing exclusively either female or male gametes, we demonstrate that parasites can only complete their development successfully if a wild-type lap gene is inherited through the female cell. These data throw new light on the regulation of parasite development in the mosquito, suggesting that initial development is maternally controlled, and that the LAPs may be candidates for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Dale Raine
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Ecker
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jacqui Mendoza
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rita Tewari
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca R Stanway
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robert E Sinden
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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