![[feed]](/style/images/feed-icon-14x14.png){kind=icon}
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Electron tomography of Plasmodium falciparum merozoites reveals core cellular events that underpin erythrocyte invasion |
| Creators Name: | Hanssen, E. and Dekiwadia, C. and Riglar, D.T. and Rug, M. and Lemgruber, L. and Cowman, A.F. and Cyrklaff, M. and Kudryashev, M. and Frischknecht, F. and Baum, J. and Ralph, S.A. |
| Abstract: | Erythrocyte invasion by merozoites forms of the malaria parasite is a key step in the establishment of human malaria disease. To date, efforts to understand cellular events underpinning entry have been limited to insights from non-human parasites, with no studies at sub-micrometer resolution undertaken using the most virulent human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. This leaves our understanding of the dynamics of merozoite sub-cellular compartments during infectionincomplete, in particular that of the secretory organelles. Using advances in P. falciparum merozoite isolation and new imaging techniques we present a three-dimensional study of invasion using electron microscopy, cryo-electron tomography and cryo-X-ray tomography. We describe the core architectural features of invasion and identify fusion between rhoptries at the commencement of invasion as a hitherto overlooked event that likely provides a critical step that initiates entry. Given the centrality of merozoite organelle proteins to vaccine development, these insights provide a mechanistic framework to understand therapeutic strategies targeted towards the cellular events of invasion. |
| Keywords: | Electron Microscope Tomography, Endocytosis, Erythrocytes, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Merozoites, Plasmodium falciparum, Three-Dimensional Imaging |
| Source: | Cellular Microbiology |
| ISSN: | 1462-5814 |
| Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell |
| Volume: | 15 |
| Number: | 9 |
| Page Range: | 1457-1472 |
| Date: | September 2013 |
| Official Publication: | https://doi.org/10.1111/cmi.12132 |
| PubMed: | View item in PubMed |
Repository Staff Only: item control page
