PfMAP-2 is essential for male gametogenesis in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Scientific Reports
Eva HitzTill S Voss

Abstract

In malaria parasites, male gametogenesis is a proliferative stage essential for parasite transmission to the mosquito vector. It is a rapid process involving three rounds of genome replication alternating with closed endomitoses, and assembly of axonemes to produce eight flagellated motile microgametes. Studies in Plasmodium berghei have highlighted tight regulation of gametogenesis by a network of kinases. The P. berghei MAPK homologue PbMAP-2 is dispensable for asexual development but important at the induction of axoneme motility. However, in P. falciparum, causing the most severe form of human malaria, PfMAP-2 was suggested to be essential for asexual proliferation indicating distinct functions for MAP-2 in these two Plasmodium species. We here show that PfMAP-2 is dispensable for asexual growth but important for male gametogenesis in vitro. Similar to PbMAP-2, PfMAP-2 is required for initiating axonemal beating but not for prior DNA replication or axoneme formation. In addition, single and double null mutants of PfMAP-2 and the second P. falciparum MAPK homologue PfMAP-1 show no defect in asexual proliferation, sexual commitment or gametocytogenesis. Our results suggest that MAPK activity plays no major role in the biology...Continue Reading

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Citations

Dec 5, 2020·Molecular Microbiology·Brendan Elsworth, Manoj T Duraisingh
Dec 19, 2020·Molecules : a Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry·Romain MustièreNicolas Primas
Feb 18, 2021·Trends in Parasitology·Jack AdderleyChristian Doerig
Oct 6, 2021·MBio·Nicolas Dos Santos PachecoDominique Soldati-Favre

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Datasets Mentioned

BETA
GPL28317
GSE147643

Methods Mentioned

BETA
transfections
PCR
PCRs
Flow cytometry
fluorescence microscopy
fluorescence imaging
transgenic
transfection

Software Mentioned

Leica application suite ( LAS )
GenePix pro
Acuity
FlowJo

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