Title
A Hetero-Multimeric Chitinase-Containing Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium gallinaceum Ookinete-Secreted Protein Complex Involved in Mosquito Midgut Invasion
Date Issued
08 January 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Patra K.P.
Kaur H.
Kolli S.K.
Wozniak J.M.
Prieto J.H.
Yates J.R.
Gonzalez D.J.
Janse C.J.
Yale School of Medicine
Publisher(s)
Frontiers Media S.A.
Abstract
Malaria parasites are transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. During its life cycle in the mosquito vector the Plasmodium ookinete escapes the proteolytic milieu of the post-blood meal midgut by traversing the midgut wall. This process requires penetration of the chitin-containing peritrophic matrix lining the midgut epithelium, which depends in part on ookinete-secreted chitinases. Plasmodium falciparum ookinetes have one chitinase (PfCHT1), whereas ookinetes of the avian-infecting parasite, P. gallinaceum, have two, a long and a short form, PgCHT1 and PgCHT2, respectively. Published data indicates that PgCHT2 forms a high molecular weight (HMW) reduction-sensitive complex; and one binding partner is the ookinete-produced von Willebrand A-domain-containing protein, WARP. Size exclusion chromatography data reported here show that P. gallinaceum PgCHT2 and its ortholog, P. falciparum PfCHT1 are covalently-linked components of a HMW chitinase-containing complex (> 1,300 kDa). Mass spectrometry of ookinete-secreted proteins isolated using a new chitin bead pull-down method identified chitinase-associated proteins in P. falciparum and P. gallinaceum ookinete-conditioned culture media. Mass spectrometry of this complex showed the presence of several micronemal proteins including von Willebrand factor A domain-related protein (WARP), ookinete surface enolase, and secreted ookinete adhesive protein (SOAP). To test the hypothesis that ookinete-produced PfCHT1 can form a high molecular homo-multimer or, alternatively, interacts with P. berghei ookinete-produced proteins to produce an HMW hetero-multimer, we created chimeric P. berghei parasites expressing PfCHT1 to replace PbCHT1, enabling the production of large numbers of PfCHT1-expressing ookinetes. We show that chimeric P. berghei ookinetes express monomeric PfCHT1, but a HMW complex containing PfCHT1 is not present. A better understanding of the chitinase-containing HMW complex may enhance development of next-generation vaccines or drugs that target malaria transmission stages.
Volume
10
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Biología celular, Microbiología Parasitología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85099740937
PubMed ID
Source
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
ISSN of the container
22352988
Sponsor(s)
We thank Andrew Li for supporting the P. gallinaceum and P. falciparum ookinete culture and chitin bead pull-down assay and to Alan Marroquin for help with the P. berghei mouse work. We also acknowledge the NIH Shared Instrumentation Grant 1S10OD018034-01 and Yale School of Medicine for the purchase of the Orbitrap Fusion and Q-Exactive Plus mass spectrometer systems. We also thank Florine Collin, Jean Kanyo, and TuKiet Lam from the Yale MS and Proteomics Resource for their help in the mass spectrometry work. Some of the figures were created with BioRender. This work was supported by grants from the United States Public Health Service, National Institute of Health grants U19AI089681 (JV), AI45999 (JV), and P41 GM103533 (JY). The funders had no role in deciding to publish this work. JW was supported by the UCSD Graduate Training Program in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32 GM007752) and the UCSD Training Program in Rheumatic Diseases Research through the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (T32 AR064194).
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus