The Cellular and Molecular Basis for Malaria Parasite Invasion of the Human Red Blood Cell

Overview

Journal J Cell Biol

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2012 Sep 19

PMID 22986493

Citations 157

Authors

Alan F Cowman

Drew Berry

Jake Baum

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Malaria is a major disease of humans caused by protozoan parasites from the genus Plasmodium. It has a complex life cycle; however, asexual parasite infection within the blood stream is responsible for all disease pathology. This stage is initiated when merozoites, the free invasive blood-stage form, invade circulating erythrocytes. Although invasion is rapid, it is the only time of the life cycle when the parasite is directly exposed to the host immune system. Significant effort has, therefore, focused on identifying the proteins involved and understanding the underlying mechanisms behind merozoite invasion into the protected niche inside the human erythrocyte.

Citing Articles

Transcriptome analysis reveals molecular targets of erythrocyte invasion phenotype diversity in natural isolates from Cameroon.

Ngoh I, Mane K, Manneh J, Bojang F, Jawara A, Akenji T Front Parasitol. 2025; 3():1370615.

PMID: 39817175 PMC: 11731687. DOI: 10.3389/fpara.2024.1370615.

A MORC protein complex modulates epigenetic control of gene expression through interaction with heterochromatin.

Singh M, Bonnell V, Tojal Da Silva I, Feijoli Santiago V, Moraes M, Adderley J Elife. 2024; 12.

PMID: 39412522 PMC: 11483127. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.92201.

Bovine lactoferrin inhibits Plasmodium berghei growth by binding to heme.

Obayashi M, Kimura M, Haraguchi A, Gotanda M, Kitagawa T, Matsuno M Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):20344.

PMID: 39223194 PMC: 11369202. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70840-6.

Transcriptomic analyses of differentially expressed human genes, micro RNAs and long-non-coding RNAs in severe, symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria infection.

Oboh M, Morenikeji O, Ojurongbe O, Thomas B Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):16901.

PMID: 39043812 PMC: 11266512. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67663-w.

Infection vs. Reinfection: The Immunomodulation of Erythropoiesis.

Pego A, Lima I, Martins A, Sa-Pereira I, Martins G, Gozzelino R Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(11).

PMID: 38892340 PMC: 11172545. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116153.

References

Anders R, Adda C, Foley M, Norton R . Recombinant protein vaccines against the asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum. Hum Vaccin. 2010; 6(1):39-53. DOI: 10.4161/hv.6.1.10712. View

Singh S, Plassmeyer M, Gaur D, Miller L . Mononeme: a new secretory organelle in Plasmodium falciparum merozoites identified by localization of rhomboid-1 protease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007; 104(50):20043-8. PMC: 2148419. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0709999104. View

Duraisingh M, Triglia T, Ralph S, Rayner J, Barnwell J, McFadden G . Phenotypic variation of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite proteins directs receptor targeting for invasion of human erythrocytes. EMBO J. 2003; 22(5):1047-57. PMC: 150330. DOI: 10.1093/emboj/cdg096. View

Gruring C, Heiber A, Kruse F, Ungefehr J, Gilberger T, Spielmann T . Development and host cell modifications of Plasmodium falciparum blood stages in four dimensions. Nat Commun. 2011; 2:165. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1169. View

Moulds J . Understanding the Knops blood group and its role in malaria. Vox Sang. 2003; 83 Suppl 1:185-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1423-0410.2002.tb05297.x. View

Evans K, Hansen D, van Rooijen N, Buckingham L, Schofield L . Severe malarial anemia of low parasite burden in rodent models results from accelerated clearance of uninfected erythrocytes. Blood. 2005; 107(3):1192-9. PMC: 1895912. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2005-08-3460. View

Richard D, Kats L, Langer C, Black C, Mitri K, Boddey J . Identification of rhoptry trafficking determinants and evidence for a novel sorting mechanism in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS Pathog. 2009; 5(3):e1000328. PMC: 2648313. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000328. View

Baum J, Richard D, Healer J, Rug M, Krnajski Z, Gilberger T . A conserved molecular motor drives cell invasion and gliding motility across malaria life cycle stages and other apicomplexan parasites. J Biol Chem. 2005; 281(8):5197-208. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M509807200. View

Lamarque M, Besteiro S, Papoin J, Roques M, Vulliez-Le Normand B, Morlon-Guyot J . The RON2-AMA1 interaction is a critical step in moving junction-dependent invasion by apicomplexan parasites. PLoS Pathog. 2011; 7(2):e1001276. PMC: 3037350. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001276. View

10.

Egan A, Morris J, Barnish G, Allen S, Greenwood B, Kaslow D . Clinical immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria is associated with serum antibodies to the 19-kDa C-terminal fragment of the merozoite surface antigen, PfMSP-1. J Infect Dis. 1996; 173(3):765-9. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/173.3.765. View

11.

Tham W, Wilson D, Lopaticki S, Schmidt C, Tetteh-Quarcoo P, Barlow P . Complement receptor 1 is the host erythrocyte receptor for Plasmodium falciparum PfRh4 invasion ligand. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 107(40):17327-32. PMC: 2951459. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1008151107. View

12.

Triglia T, HEALER J, Caruana S, Hodder A, Anders R, Crabb B . Apical membrane antigen 1 plays a central role in erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium species. Mol Microbiol. 2000; 38(4):706-18. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2000.02175.x. View

13.

Koussis K, Withers-Martinez C, Yeoh S, Child M, Hackett F, Knuepfer E . A multifunctional serine protease primes the malaria parasite for red blood cell invasion. EMBO J. 2009; 28(6):725-35. PMC: 2647770. DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2009.22. View

14.

Sim B, Chitnis C, Wasniowska K, Hadley T, MILLER L . Receptor and ligand domains for invasion of erythrocytes by Plasmodium falciparum. Science. 1994; 264(5167):1941-4. DOI: 10.1126/science.8009226. View

15.

Abkarian M, Massiera G, Berry L, Roques M, Braun-Breton C . A novel mechanism for egress of malarial parasites from red blood cells. Blood. 2011; 117(15):4118-24. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2010-08-299883. View

16.

Thera M, Doumbo O, Coulibaly D, Laurens M, Ouattara A, Kone A . A field trial to assess a blood-stage malaria vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2011; 365(11):1004-13. PMC: 3242358. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1008115. View

17.

Goel V, Li X, Chen H, Liu S, Chishti A, Oh S . Band 3 is a host receptor binding merozoite surface protein 1 during the Plasmodium falciparum invasion of erythrocytes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003; 100(9):5164-9. PMC: 154316. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0834959100. View

18.

Alexander D, Arastu-Kapur S, Dubremetz J, Boothroyd J . Plasmodium falciparum AMA1 binds a rhoptry neck protein homologous to TgRON4, a component of the moving junction in Toxoplasma gondii. Eukaryot Cell. 2006; 5(7):1169-73. PMC: 1489286. DOI: 10.1128/EC.00040-06. View

19.

Child M, Epp C, Bujard H, Blackman M . Regulated maturation of malaria merozoite surface protein-1 is essential for parasite growth. Mol Microbiol. 2010; 78(1):187-202. PMC: 2995310. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07324.x. View

20.

Kirkman L, Deitsch K . Antigenic variation and the generation of diversity in malaria parasites. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2012; 15(4):456-62. PMC: 3399988. DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2012.03.003. View