Phosphorylation of the Canonical Histone H2A Marks Foci of Damaged DNA in Malaria Parasites.

ABSTRACT: Plasmodium falciparum parasites proliferate within circulating red blood cells and are responsible for the deadliest form of human malaria. These parasites are exposed to numerous intrinsic and external sources that could cause DNA damage; therefore, they have evolved efficient mechanisms to protect their genome integrity and allow them to proliferate under such conditions. In higher eukaryotes, double-strand breaks rapidly lead to phosphorylation of the core histone variant H2A.X, which marks the site of damaged DNA. We show that in P. falciparum that lacks the H2A.X variant, the canonical P. falciparum H2A (PfH2A) is phosphorylated on serine 121 upon exposure to sources of DNA damage. We further demonstrate that phosphorylated PfH2A is recruited to foci of damaged ch

SUBMITTER: Goyal M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7845613 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature