-Mannosylation of proteins promotes attachment to host cells and parasite virulence.

Mannosylation is a common modification of thrombospondin type 1 repeats present in metazoans and recently identified also in apicomplexan parasites. This glycosylation is mediated by enzymes of the DPY19 family that transfer α-mannoses to tryptophan residues in the sequence WWC, which is part of the structurally essential tryptophan ladder. Here, deletion of the gene in the parasite abolished -mannosyltransferase activity and reduced levels of the micronemal protein MIC2. The loss of -mannosyltransferase activity was associated with weakened parasite adhesion to host cells and with reduced parasite motility, host cell invasion, and parasite egress. Interestingly, the -mannosyltransferase-deficient Δ parasites were strongly attenuated in virulence and induced protective immunity in mice. This parasite attenuation could not simply be explained by the decreased MIC2 level and strongly suggests that absence of mannosyltransferase activity leads to an insufficient level of additional proteins. In summary, our results indicate that -mannosyltransferase DPY19 is not essential for parasite survival, but is important for adhesion, motility, and virulence.