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- Title
Conditional expression of apical membrane antigen 1 in P lasmodium falciparum shows it is required for erythrocyte invasion by merozoites.
- Authors
Yap, Alan; Azevedo, Mauro F.; Gilson, Paul R.; Weiss, Greta E.; O'Neill, Matthew T.; Wilson, Danny W.; Crabb, Brendan S.; Cowman, Alan F.
- Abstract
Malaria is caused by obligate intracellular parasites, of which P lasmodium falciparum is the most lethal species. In humans, P . falciparum merozoites (invasive forms of the parasite) employ a host of parasite proteins to rapidly invade erythrocytes. One of these is the P . falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 ( PfAMA1) which forms a complex with rhoptry neck proteins at the tight junction. Here, we have placed the Pfama1 gene under conditional control using dimerizable Cre recombinase ( DiCre) in P . falciparum. DiCre-mediated excision of the loxP-flanked Pfama1 gene results in approximately 80% decreased expression of the protein within one intraerythrocytic growth cycle. This reduces growth by 40%, due to decreased invasion efficiency characterized by a post-invasion defect in sealing of the parasitophorous vacuole. These results show that PfAMA1 is an essential protein for merozoite invasion in P . falciparum and either directly or indirectly plays a role in resealing of the red blood cell at the posterior end of the invasion event.
- Subjects
GENE expression; CELL membranes; ANTIGENS; INTRACELLULAR pathogens; ERYTHROCYTES; MEROZOITES
- Publication
Cellular Microbiology, 2014, Vol 16, Issue 5, p642
- ISSN
1462-5814
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/cmi.12287