Disruption of the PfPK7 gene impairs schizogony and sporogony in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum |
| |
Authors: | Dorin-Semblat Dominique Sicard Audrey Doerig Caroline Ranford-Cartwright Lisa Doerig Christian |
| |
Institution: | INSERM U609, Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, Scotland, United Kingdom. |
| |
Abstract: | PfPK7 is an orphan protein kinase of Plasmodium falciparum with maximal homology to MEK3/6 and to fungal protein kinase A proteins in its C-terminal and N-terminal regions, respectively. We showed previously that recombinant PfPK7 is active on various substrates but is unable to phosphorylate the Plasmodium falciparum mitogen-activated protein kinase homologues, suggesting that it is not a MEK functional homologue. Using a reverse genetics approach to investigate the function of this enzyme in live parasites, we now show that PfPK7− parasite clones display phenotypes at two stages of their life cycle: first, a decrease in the rate of asexual growth in erythrocytes associated with a lower number of daughter merozoites generated per schizont, and second, a dramatic reduction in the ability to produce oocysts in the mosquito vector. A normal asexual growth rate and the ability to produce oocysts are restored if a functional copy of the PfPK7 gene is reintroduced into the PfPK7− parasites. Hence, PfPK7 is involved in a pathway that regulates parasite proliferation and development. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|