This report describes the isolation of a viruslike particle from in vitro cultures of the human malaria parasite P. falciparum. Electronmicroscopic observations suggest that the particles are liberated into the culture medium by budding from the erythrocyte membrane. The density of the free particles is 1.16, they contain nucleic acid and two distinct molecular species of the knob-associated Histidine-rich protein. Proteins of the particles are recognized by sera from malaria patients. The previously described knobs may correspond to viral coats inserted in the membrane.
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APEX2-based proximity proteomic analysis identifies candidate interactors for Plasmodium falciparum knob-associated histidine-rich protein in infected erythrocytes.
Sci Rep
May 2024
Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK.
The interaction of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells (iRBCs) with the vascular endothelium plays a crucial role in malaria pathology and disease. KAHRP is an exported P. falciparum protein involved in iRBC remodelling, which is essential for the formation of protrusions or "knobs" on the iRBC surface.
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Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Red blood cells can withstand the harsh mechanical conditions in the vasculature only because the bending rigidity of their plasma membrane is complemented by the shear elasticity of the underlying spectrin-actin network. During an infection by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite mines host actin from the junctional complexes and establishes a system of adhesive knobs, whose main structural component is the knob-associated histidine rich protein (KAHRP) secreted by the parasite. Here we aim at a mechanistic understanding of this dramatic transformation process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetic Diversity, Repeat Motifs, and Natural Selection at the C-Terminal Knob-Associated Histidine Rich Protein (KAHRP) of Clinical Samples from Saudi Arabia.
J Trop Med
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Department of Infection and Immunity, Research Centre, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Mol Microbiol
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Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
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