Journal article

Identification and characterisation of a phospholipid scramblase in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

S Haase, M Condron, D Miller, D Cherkaoui, S Jordan, JM Gulbis, J Baum

Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology | ELSEVIER | Published : 2021

Abstract

Recent studies highlight the emerging role of lipids as important messengers in malaria parasite biology. In an attempt to identify interacting proteins and regulators of these dynamic and versatile molecules, we hypothesised the involvement of phospholipid translocases and their substrates in the infection of the host erythrocyte by the malaria parasite Plasmodium spp. Here, using a data base searching approach of the Plasmodium Genomics Resources (www.plasmodb.org), we have identified a putative phospholipid (PL) scramblase in P. falciparum (PfPLSCR) that is conserved across the genus and in closely related unicellular algae. By reconstituting recombinant PfPLSCR into liposomes, we demonst..

View full abstract

University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by Wellcome Trust


Funding Acknowledgements

We thank Matt Child for critically reading the manuscript, Moritz Treeck (Francis Crick Institute, UK) and Marcus Lee (Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK) for providing plasmids, as well as Robert Sauerwein (Radboud UMC) , Brendan Crabb (Burnet Institute) and Alan Cowman (Walter & Eliza Hall Institute) for provision of antibodies. We are indebted to Simone Kunzelmann and the Structural Biology STP at the Francis Crick Institute for access to the Jasco FP-8500 Spectrofluorometer and to Marc Morgan at the Imperial College Xray Crystallography Facility for help with SEC-MALS analysis and crystallisation trials. This research was funded by the Wellcome Trust, Investigator Award to JB (100993/Z/13/Z) . For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author AcceptedManuscript version arising from this submission.