Title : A Plasmodium phospholipase is involved in disruption of the liver stage parasitophorous vacuole membrane - Burda_2015_PLoS.Pathog_11_e1004760 |
Author(s) : Burda PC , Roelli MA , Schaffner M , Khan SM , Janse CJ , Heussler VT |
Ref : PLoS Pathog , 11 :e1004760 , 2015 |
Abstract :
The coordinated exit of intracellular pathogens from host cells is a process critical to the success and spread of an infection. While phospholipases have been shown to play important roles in bacteria host cell egress and virulence, their role in the release of intracellular eukaryotic parasites is largely unknown. We examined a malaria parasite protein with phospholipase activity and found it to be involved in hepatocyte egress. In hepatocytes, Plasmodium parasites are surrounded by a parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM), which must be disrupted before parasites are released into the blood. However, on a molecular basis, little is known about how the PVM is ruptured. We show that Plasmodium berghei phospholipase, PbPL, localizes to the PVM in infected hepatocytes. We provide evidence that parasites lacking PbPL undergo completely normal liver stage development until merozoites are produced but have a defect in egress from host hepatocytes. To investigate this further, we established a live-cell imaging-based assay, which enabled us to study the temporal dynamics of PVM rupture on a quantitative basis. Using this assay we could show that PbPL-deficient parasites exhibit impaired PVM rupture, resulting in delayed parasite egress. A wild-type phenotype could be re-established by gene complementation, demonstrating the specificity of the PbPL deletion phenotype. In conclusion, we have identified for the first time a Plasmodium phospholipase that is important for PVM rupture and in turn for parasite exit from the infected hepatocyte and therefore established a key role of a parasite phospholipase in egress. |
PubMedSearch : Burda_2015_PLoS.Pathog_11_e1004760 |
PubMedID: 25786000 |
Gene_locus related to this paper: plaba-q4z5z8 , plafa-MAL6P1.135 , plafa-PF10.0018 |
Gene_locus | plaba-q4z5z8 plafa-MAL6P1.135 plafa-PF10.0018 |
Burda PC, Roelli MA, Schaffner M, Khan SM, Janse CJ, Heussler VT (2015)
A Plasmodium phospholipase is involved in disruption of the liver stage parasitophorous vacuole membrane
PLoS Pathog
11 :e1004760
Burda PC, Roelli MA, Schaffner M, Khan SM, Janse CJ, Heussler VT (2015)
PLoS Pathog
11 :e1004760