Microbiology and Immunology

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Browsing Microbiology and Immunology by Author "Alder, A."

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    Cell biological analysis reveals an essential role for Pfcerli2 in erythrocyte invasion by malaria parasites
    (Springer Nature, 2022) Liffner, B.; Balbin, J.M.; Shami, G.J.; Siddiqui, G.; Strauss, J.; Frölich, S.; Heinemann, G.K.; Edwards, E.M.; Alder, A.; Wichers, J.S.; Creek, D.J.; Tilley, L.; Dixon, M.W.A.; Gilberger, T.-W.; Wilson, D.W.
    Merozoite invasion of host red blood cells (RBCs) is essential for survival of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Proteins involved with RBC binding and invasion are secreted from dual-club shaped organelles at the apical tip of the merozoite called the rhoptries. Here we characterise P. falciparum Cytosolically Exposed Rhoptry Leaflet Interacting protein 2 (PfCERLI2), as a rhoptry bulb protein that is essential for merozoite invasion. Phylogenetic analyses show that cerli2 arose through an ancestral gene duplication of cerli1. We show that PfCERLI2 is essential for blood-stage growth and localises to the cytosolic face of the rhoptry bulb. Inducible knockdown of PfCERLI2 led to a proportion of merozoites failing to invade and was associated with elongation of the rhoptry organelle during merozoite development and inhibition of rhoptry antigen processing. These findings identify PfCERLI2 as a protein that has key roles in rhoptry biology during merozoite invasion.