Scientific article
OA Policy
English

A lipid-binding protein mediates rhoptry discharge and invasion in Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii parasites

Published inNature communications, vol. 10, no. 1, 4041
First online date2019-09-06
Abstract

Members of the Apicomplexa phylum, including Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, have two types of secretory organelles (micronemes and rhoptries) whose sequential release is essential for invasion and the intracellular lifestyle of these eukaryotes. During invasion, rhoptries inject an array of invasion and virulence factors into the cytoplasm of the host cell, but the molecular mechanism mediating rhoptry exocytosis is unknown. Here we identify a set of parasite specific proteins, termed rhoptry apical surface proteins (RASP) that cap the extremity of the rhoptry. Depletion of RASP2 results in loss of rhoptry secretion and completely blocks parasite invasion and therefore parasite proliferation in both Toxoplasma and Plasmodium. Recombinant RASP2 binds charged lipids and likely contributes to assembling the machinery that docks/primes the rhoptry to the plasma membrane prior to fusion. This study provides important mechanistic insight into a parasite specific exocytic pathway, essential for the establishment of infection.

Keywords
  • Animals
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Exocytosis
  • Fibroblasts / cytology
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Fibroblasts / parasitology
  • Host-Parasite Interactions
  • Humans
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Organelles / metabolism
  • Parasites / metabolism
  • Parasites / ultrastructure
  • Phospholipids / chemistry
  • Phospholipids / metabolism
  • Plasmodium falciparum / metabolism
  • Protozoan Proteins / genetics
  • Protozoan Proteins / metabolism
  • Toxoplasma / metabolism
Affiliation entities Not a UNIGE publication
Funding
  • Agence Nationale de la Recherche - [ParaFrap ANR-11-LABX-0024]
  • Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale - [Equipe FRM DEQ20130326508]
  • NIAID NIH HHS - [R01 AI123360]
  • Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale - [Equipe FRM EQ20170336725]
Citation (ISO format)
SUAREZ, Catherine et al. A lipid-binding protein mediates rhoptry discharge and invasion in Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii parasites. In: Nature communications, 2019, vol. 10, n° 1, p. 4041. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11979-z
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-11979-z
Journal ISSN2041-1723
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12downloads

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