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Aldolase forms a bridge between cell surface adhesins and the actin cytoskeleton in apicomplexan parasites
Travis J Jewett1, L David Sibley
1Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Abstract:
Host cell invasion by apicomplexan parasites requires coordinated interactions between cell surface adhesins and the parasite cytoskeleton. We have identified a complex of parasite proteins, including the actin binding protein aldolase, which specifically interacts with the C-terminal domains of several parasite adhesins belonging to the thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) family. Binding of aldolase to the adhesin was disrupted by mutation of a critical tryptophan in the C domain, a residue that was previously shown to be essential for parasite motility. Our findings reveal a potential role for aldolase in connecting TRAP family adhesins with the cytoskeleton, and provide a model linking adhesion with motility in apicomplexan parasites.
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