Helmholtz Gemeinschaft

Search
Browse
Statistics
Feeds

Nuclear pore complex components in the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei

[img]
Preview
PDF (Original Article) - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
5MB
[img]
Preview
PDF (Supplementary Material) - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
2MB

Item Type:Article
Title:Nuclear pore complex components in the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei
Creators Name:Kehrer, J. and Kuss, C. and Andres-Pons, A. and Reustle, A. and Dahan, N. and Devos, D. and Kudryashev, M. and Beck, M. and Mair, G.R. and Frischknecht, F.
Abstract:The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a large macromolecular assembly of around 30 different proteins, so-called nucleoporins (Nups). Embedded in the nuclear envelope the NPC mediates bi-directional exchange between the cytoplasm and the nucleus and plays a role in transcriptional regulation that is poorly understood. NPCs display modular arrangements with an overall structure that is generally conserved among many eukaryotic phyla. However, Nups of yeast or human origin show little primary sequence conservation with those from early-branching protozoans leaving those of the malaria parasite unrecognized. Here we have combined bioinformatic and genetic methods to identify and spatially characterize Nup components in the rodent infecting parasite Plasmodium berghei and identified orthologs from the human malaria parasite P. falciparum, as well as the related apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. For the first time we show the localization of selected Nups throughout the P. berghei life cycle. Largely restricted to apicomplexans we identify an extended C-terminal poly-proline extension in SEC13 that is essential for parasite survival and provide high-resolution images of Plasmodium NPCs obtained by cryo electron tomography. Our data provide the basis for full characterization of NPCs in malaria parasites, early branching unicellular eukaryotes with significant impact on human health.
Keywords:Computational Biology, Essential Genes, Molecular Biology, Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins, Plasmodium berghei, Plasmodium falciparum, Toxoplasma
Source:Scientific Reports
ISSN:2045-2322
Publisher:Nature Publishing Group
Volume:8
Number:1
Page Range:11249
Date:26 July 2018
Official Publication:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29590-5
PubMed:View item in PubMed

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Open Access
MDC Library