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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
09:17
A Simple Migration/Invasion Workflow Using an Automated Live-cell Imager
Published on: February 2, 2019
To migrate or to invade: those are the options
Miguel Prudêncio1, Maria M Mota
1Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal.
Cell Host & Microbe
|November 17, 2007
Summary
Plasmodium sporozoites activate for liver cell invasion when their surface proteins are cleaved by heparan sulfate proteoglycans on host liver cells. This interaction is the key trigger for productive hepatocyte invasion.
Area of Science:
- Malariology
- Cell Biology
- Host-Pathogen Interactions
Background:
- Plasmodium sporozoites infect liver cells to initiate malaria.
- Spore invasion involves migration through host cells before hepatocyte entry.
- The precise trigger for productive hepatocyte invasion remains incompletely understood.
Discussion:
- Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) on liver cells are highly sulfated.
- Spore-HSPG interaction causes cleavage of a major sporozoite surface protein.
- This cleavage event is proposed as the primary trigger for invasion.
Key Insights:
- Host cell surface molecules directly regulate parasite invasion.
- Proteolytic cleavage of sporozoite surface proteins is essential for activation.
- Understanding this trigger mechanism offers new avenues for malaria control.
Outlook:
- Investigating the specific proteases involved in cleavage.
- Developing strategies to block sporozoite-HSPG interactions.
- Exploring therapeutic interventions targeting the invasion trigger mechanism.
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