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Characterisation of Plasmodium invasive organelles; an ookinete microneme proteome

Kalpana Lal1, Judith Helena Prieto, Elizabeth Bromley

  • 1Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Imperial College London, UK. Kalpana.lal@imperial.ac.uk

Proteomics
|February 12, 2009
PubMed

Insights

This study reveals the first comprehensive proteome of Plasmodium micronemes, essential for parasite invasion. It identifies key proteins, including drug targets, and uncharacterized proteins crucial for understanding Plasmodium biology.

Area of Science:

  • Parasitology
  • Cell Biology
  • Proteomics

Background:

  • Microneme protein secretion is vital for Plasmodium parasite invasion.
  • The molecular makeup of Plasmodium micronemes is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define the Plasmodium microneme proteome for the first time.
  • To identify proteins involved in Plasmodium invasion and secretory pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Subcellular fractionation and purification of micronemes from cultured ookinetes.
  • Electron microscopy for organelle enrichment confirmation.
  • Gel LC-MS/MS and MudPIT shotgun proteomics for protein identification.

Main Results:

  • Micronemes were highly enriched (>14-fold), comprising 85% of identifiable organelles.
  • Identified known micronemal proteins (chitinase, CTRP, SOAP), PDI, and HSP70.
  • Discovered 345 total proteins, including M1 aminopeptidase and PDI with confirmed micronemal localization via IFA.

Conclusions:

  • The Plasmodium microneme proteome is diverse, containing known and novel proteins.
  • Identified proteins suggest micronemes are part of a regulated secretory pathway.
  • Uncharacterized proteins represent a significant portion, likely playing key roles in parasite invasion.

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