TY  - JOUR
A1  - Jonscher, Ernst
A1  - Flemming, Sven
A1  - Schmitt, Marius
A1  - Sabitzki, Ricarda
A1  - Reichard, Nick
A1  - Birnbaum, Jakob
A1  - Bergmann, Bärbel
A1  - Höhn, Katharina
A1  - Spielmann, Tobias
T1  - PfVPS45 Is Required for Host Cell Cytosol Uptake by Malaria Blood Stage Parasites
JF  - Cell host & microbe
N2  - During development in human erythrocytes, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum internalizes a large part of the cellular content of the host cell. The internalized cytosol, consisting largely of hemoglobin, is transported to the parasite’s food vacuole where it is degraded, providing nutrients and space for growth. This host cell cytosol uptake (HCCU) is crucial for parasite survival but the parasite proteins mediating this process remain obscure. Here, we identify P. falciparum VPS45 as an essential factor in HCCU. Conditional inactivation of PfVPS45 led to an accumulation of host cell cytosol-filled vesicles within the parasite and inhibited the delivery of hemoglobin to the parasite's digestive vacuole, resulting in arrested parasite growth. A proportion of these HCCU vesicle intermediates was positive for phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate, suggesting endosomal characteristics. Thus PfVPS45 provides insight into the elusive machinery of the ingestion pathway in a parasite that contains an endolysosomal system heavily repurposed for protein secretion.
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2018.11.010
SN  - 1931-3128
SN  - 1934-6069
VL  - 25
IS  - 1
SP  - 166
EP  - 173
PB  - Cell Press
CY  - Cambridge
ER  -