Vital role for the Plasmodium actin capping protein (CP) beta-subunit in motility of malaria sporozoites.

ABSTRACT: Summary Successful malaria transmission from the mosquito vector to the mammalian host depends crucially on active sporozoite motility. Sporozoite locomotion and host cell invasion are driven by the parasite's own actin/myosin motor. A unique feature of this motor machinery is the presence of very short subpellicular actin filaments. Therefore, F-actin stabilizing proteins likely play a central role in parasite locomotion. Here, we investigated the role of the Plasmodium berghei actin capping protein (PbCP), an orthologue of the heterodimeric regulator of filament barbed end growth, by reverse genetics. Parasites containing a deletion of the CP beta-subunit developed normally during the pathogenic erythrocytic cycle. However, due to reduced ookinete motility, mutant parasites form fewer oo

SUBMITTER: Ganter M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2810434 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature