Plasmodium sporozoite disintegration during skin passage limits malaria parasite transmission

ABSTRACT: During transmission of malaria-causing parasites from mosquitoes to mammals, Plasmodium sporozoites migrate rapidly in the skin to search for a blood vessel. The high migratory speed and narrow passages taken by the parasites suggest considerable strain on the sporozoites to maintain their shape. Here we show that the membrane-associated protein, concavin, is important for maintenance of the Plasmodium sporozoite shape inside salivary glands of mosquitoes and during migration in the skin. Concavin-GFP localizes at the cytoplasmic periphery and concavin(-) sporozoites progressively round up upon entry of salivary glands. Rounded concavin(-) sporozoites fail to pass through the narrow salivary ducts and are rarely ejected by mosquitoes, while normally shaped concavin(-) sporozoites are trans

SUBMITTER: Jessica Kehrer 

PROVIDER: S-SCDT-EMBOR-2022-54719-T | biostudies-other |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other