Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds
Published on: July 11, 2025
Conserved peptide sequences bind to actin and enolase on the surface of Plasmodium berghei ookinetes
J Hernández-Romano1, M H Rodríguez, V Pando
1Centro de Investigación sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Avenida Universidad No. 655, Col. Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, Morelos, CP62508 México.
Abstract:
The description of Plasmodium ookinete surface proteins and their participation in the complex process of mosquito midgut invasion is still incomplete. In this study, using phage display, a consensus peptide sequence (PWWP) was identified in phages that bound to the Plasmodium berghei ookinete surface and, in selected phages, bound to actin and enolase in overlay assays with ookinete protein extracts. Actin was localized on the surface of fresh live ookinetes by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy using specific antibodies. The overall results indicated that enolase and actin can be located on the surface of ookinetes, and suggest that they could participate in Plasmodium invasion of the mosquito midgut.
Related Concept Videos
Cytoskeletal Linker Proteins - Plakins
Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
Introduction to Actin
Mechanism of Filopodia Formation
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...
Actin Filament Depolymerization
In F-actin, the ADF/cofilin proteins...
Conserved Binding Sites
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...

