The histone methyltransferase SET10 participates in a chromatin modulation network crucial for intraerythrocytic development.

The lifecycle progression of the malaria parasite requires precise tuning of gene expression including histone methylation. The histone methyltransferase SET10 was previously described as an H3K4 methyltransferase involved in gene regulation, making it a prominent antimalarial target. In this study, we investigated the role of SET10 in the blood stages of in more detail, using tagged SET10-knockout (KO) and -knockdown (KD) lines.

S-Adenosylmethionine Synthetase Is Essential for Parasite Survival through a Complex Interaction Network with Cytoplasmic and Nuclear Proteins.

S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (SAMS) is a key enzyme for the synthesis of the lone methyl donor S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), which is involved in transmethylation reactions and hence required for cellular processes such as DNA, RNA, and histone methylation, but also polyamine biosynthesis and proteostasis. In the human malaria parasite , SAMS is encoded by a single gene and has been suggested to be crucial for malaria pathogenesis and transmission; however, to date, SAMS has not been fully characterized. To gain deeper insight into the function of SAMS, we generated a conditional gene knockdown (KD) using the ribozyme system.