Mitochondrial ATP synthase is dispensable in blood-stage Plasmodium berghei rodent malaria but essential in the mosquito phase.

ABSTRACT: Mitochondrial ATP synthase is driven by chemiosmotic oxidation of pyruvate derived from glycolysis. Blood-stage malaria parasites eschew chemiosmosis, instead relying almost solely on glycolysis for their ATP generation, which begs the question of whether mitochondrial ATP synthase is necessary during the blood stage of the parasite life cycle. We knocked out the mitochondrial ATP synthase β subunit gene in the rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei, ablating the protein that converts ADP to ATP. Disruption of the β subunit gene of the ATP synthase only marginally reduced asexual blood-stage parasite growth but completely blocked mouse-to-mouse transmission via Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. Parasites lacking the β subunit gene of the ATP synthase generated viable gametes that fuse a

SUBMITTER: Sturm A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4547259 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature