Mechanochemical tuning of a kinesin motor essential for malaria parasite transmission.

ABSTRACT: Plasmodium species cause malaria and kill hundreds of thousands annually. The microtubule-based motor kinesin-8B is required for development of the flagellated Plasmodium male gamete, and its absence completely blocks parasite transmission. To understand the molecular basis of kinesin-8B's essential role, we characterised the in vitro properties of kinesin-8B motor domains from P. berghei and P. falciparum. Both motors drive ATP-dependent microtubule gliding, but also catalyse ATP-dependent microtubule depolymerisation. We determined these motors' microtubule-bound structures using cryo-electron microscopy, which showed very similar modes of microtubule interaction in which Plasmodium-distinct sequences at the microtubule-kinesin interface influence motor function. Intriguingly however, P.

SUBMITTER: Liu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9669022 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature