Title
New ultrastructural analysis of the invasive apparatus of the plasmodium ookinete
Date Issued
01 September 2012
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
University of California
Abstract
Invasion of the mosquito midgut by the Plasmodium ookinete determines the success of transmission of malaria parasites from humans to mosquitoes and therefore, is a potential target for molecular intervention. Here, we show higher-resolution ultrastructural details of developing and mature P. gallinaceum ookinetes than previously available. Improved fixation and processing methods yielded substantially improved transmission electron micrographs of ookinetes, particularly with regard to visualization of subcellular secretory and other organelles. These new images provide new insights into the synthesis and function of vital invasive machinery focused on the following features: apical membrane protrusions presumptively used for attachment and protein secretion, dark spherical bodies at the apical end of the mature ookinete, and the presence of a dense array of micronemes apposed to microtubules at the apical end of the ookinete involved in constitutive secretion. This work advances understanding of the molecular and cellular details of the Plasmodium ookinete and provides the basis of future, more detailed mechanistic experimentation on the biology of the Plasmodium ookinete. Copyright © 2012 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Start page
412
End page
417
Volume
87
Issue
3
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Medicina tropical
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84865960528
PubMed ID
Source
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ISSN of the container
00029637
Sponsor(s)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - R01AI045999.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus