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Myeloid Cell Isolation from Mouse Skin and Draining Lymph Node Following Intradermal Immunization with Live Attenuated Plasmodium Sporozoites
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Migration of Plasmodium sporozoites through cells before infection

M M Mota1, G Pradel, J P Vanderberg

  • 1Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, 341 East 25 Street, New York, NY 10010, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|January 6, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Malaria parasites (Plasmodium sporozoites) invade cells by breaching the plasma membrane, not forming a vacuole. This unique entry and cell traversal is crucial for parasite development and completing the malaria life cycle.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Parasitology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Intracellular pathogens typically enter host cells via vacuole formation.
  • Plasmodium sporozoites, the malaria parasite's infective stage, require efficient cell entry for infection.
  • Understanding Plasmodium sporozoite invasion mechanisms is key to developing malaria control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the alternative cell entry mechanism of Plasmodium sporozoites.
  • To elucidate the process of sporozoite invasion beyond the initial host cell interaction.
  • To determine the role of cell traversal in the malaria parasite's life cycle.

Main Methods:

  • Live imaging microscopy to observe Plasmodium sporozoite interactions with host cells.
  • Analysis of host cell plasma membrane integrity during sporozoite entry.
  • Tracking of sporozoite movement within host tissues.

Main Results:

  • Plasmodium sporozoites breach the host cell plasma membrane, which then rapidly repairs.
  • This entry mechanism bypasses conventional vacuole formation, allowing immediate parasite release into the cytosol.
  • Sporozoites migrate through multiple host cells before establishing infection in hepatocytes via a parasitophorous vacuole.

Conclusions:

  • Plasmodium sporozoites utilize a unique, non-vacuolar invasion pathway involving membrane breaching and repair.
  • Cytosolic traversal through multiple host cells is essential for Plasmodium sporozoite development and infectivity.
  • This migratory behavior is critical for completing the malaria parasite's life cycle in mammalian hosts.

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