Burda_2015_PLoS.Pathog_11_e1004760

Reference

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

Related information

Gene_locus plaba-q4z5z8    plafa-MAL6P1.135    plafa-PF10.0018

Citations formats

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