We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Cell biological analysis reveals an essential role for Pfcerli2 in erythrocyte invasion by malaria parasites.
- Authors
Liffner, Benjamin; Balbin, Juan Miguel; Shami, Gerald J.; Siddiqui, Ghizal; Strauss, Jan; Frölich, Sonja; Heinemann, Gary K.; Edwards, Ella May; Alder, Arne; Wichers, Jan Stephan; Creek, Darren J.; Tilley, Leann; Dixon, Matthew W. A.; Gilberger, Tim-Wolf; Wilson, Danny W.
- Abstract
Merozoite invasion of host red blood cells (RBCs) is essential for survival of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Proteins involved with RBC binding and invasion are secreted from dual-club shaped organelles at the apical tip of the merozoite called the rhoptries. Here we characterise P. falciparum Cytosolically Exposed Rhoptry Leaflet Interacting protein 2 (PfCERLI2), as a rhoptry bulb protein that is essential for merozoite invasion. Phylogenetic analyses show that cerli2 arose through an ancestral gene duplication of cerli1. We show that PfCERLI2 is essential for blood-stage growth and localises to the cytosolic face of the rhoptry bulb. Inducible knockdown of PfCERLI2 led to a proportion of merozoites failing to invade and was associated with elongation of the rhoptry organelle during merozoite development and inhibition of rhoptry antigen processing. These findings identify PfCERLI2 as a protein that has key roles in rhoptry biology during merozoite invasion. Benjamin Liffner and Miguel Balbin et al. report that the Plasmodium falciparum protein, PfCERLI2, localises to the cytosolic face of the parasite's rhoptry bulb and is essential for invasion and growth within human red blood cells.
- Subjects
PLASMODIUM; CELL analysis; CHROMOSOME duplication; PLASMODIUM falciparum; ANTIGEN processing; MALARIA; ERYTHROCYTES
- Publication
Communications Biology, 2022, Vol 5, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2399-3642
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s42003-022-03020-9