Cell biological analysis of mosquito midgut invasion: the defensive role of the actin-based ookinete hood.

ABSTRACT: Successful completion of the Plasmodium lifecycle in the mosquito vector is critical for malaria transmission. It has been documented that the fate of Plasmodium in the mosquito ultimately depends on a fine interplay of molecular mosquito factors that act as parasite agonists and antagonists. Here we investigate whether the cellular responses of the invaded midgut epithelium can also determine the parasite fate and development. We show that the parasite hood, an actin-rich structure formed around the ookinete as it exits the epithelium, is a local epithelial defence reaction observed around 60% of invading parasites. The hood co-localizes with WASP, a promoter of actin filament nucleation, suggesting that it is an active reaction of the invaded cell against invading parasites. Importantly,

SUBMITTER: Schlegelmilch T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4073529 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature