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Plasmodium vivax infection compromises reticulocyte stability.
Martha A Clark1, Usheer Kanjee1, Gabriel W Rangel2
1Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Nature Communications
|March 13, 2021
Summary
Plasmodium vivax malaria parasites destabilize host reticulocytes, making them fragile and prone to rupture. This vulnerability in infected red blood cells offers new targets for malaria therapeutics.
Area of Science:
- Malariology
- Hematology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Red blood cell (RBC) structural integrity is vital for Plasmodium parasite propagation during blood-stage malaria.
- Reticulocytes, immature RBCs, are preferentially infected by Plasmodium vivax.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the osmotic stability of Plasmodium vivax-infected reticulocytes.
- To investigate the mechanisms behind decreased reticulocyte stability.
Main Methods:
- Developed a flow cytometry-based assay to measure osmotic stability.
- Analyzed osmotic fragility in heterogeneous reticulocyte and P. vivax-infected samples.
Main Results:
- Erythroid osmotic stability decreases during erythropoiesis and reticulocyte maturation.
- P. vivax infection significantly reduces reticulocyte stability, exceeding P. falciparum's effect on normocytes.
- P. vivax new permeability pathways contribute to decreased osmotic stability in infected reticulocytes.
Conclusions:
- P. vivax infection compromises reticulocyte structural integrity, similar to hemolytic anemias.
- This induced vulnerability in infected reticulocytes presents a potential target for novel malaria therapies and in vitro culture methods.
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