Electron tomography of Plasmodium falciparum merozoites reveals core cellular events that underpin erythrocyte invasion

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Item Type:	Article
Title:	Electron tomography of Plasmodium falciparum merozoites reveals core cellular events that underpin erythrocyte invasion
Creators Name:	Hanssen, E., Dekiwadia, C., Riglar, D.T., Rug, M., Lemgruber, L., Cowman, A.F., Cyrklaff, M., Kudryashev, M., Frischknecht, F., 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

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