The PfRCR complex bridges malaria parasite and erythrocyte during invasion.

ABSTRACT: The symptoms of malaria occur during the blood stage of infection, when parasites invade and replicate within human erythrocytes. The PfPCRCR complex¹, containing PfRH5 (refs. ^2,3), PfCyRPA, PfRIPR, PfCSS and PfPTRAMP, is essential for erythrocyte invasion by the deadliest human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Invasion can be prevented by antibodies^3-6 or nanobodies¹ against each of these conserved proteins, making them the leading blood-stage malaria vaccine candidates. However, little is known about how PfPCRCR functions during invasion. Here we present the structure of the PfRCR complex^7,8, containing PfRH5, PfCyRPA and PfRIPR, determined by cryogenic-electron microscopy. We test the hypothesis that PfRH5 opens to insert in

SUBMITTER: Farrell B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10794152 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature