Journal article
Plasmepsin X activates the PCRCR complex of Plasmodium falciparum by processing PfRh5 for erythrocyte invasion
T Triglia, SW Scally, BA Seager, M Pasternak, LF Dagley, AF Cowman
Nature Communications | Published : 2023
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe form of malaria in humans. The protozoan parasite develops within erythrocytes to mature schizonts, that contain more than 16 merozoites, which egress and invade fresh erythrocytes. The aspartic protease plasmepsin X (PMX), processes proteins and proteases essential for merozoite egress from the schizont and invasion of the host erythrocyte, including the leading vaccine candidate PfRh5. PfRh5 is anchored to the merozoite surface through a 5-membered complex (PCRCR), consisting of Plasmodium thrombospondin-related apical merozoite protein, cysteine-rich small secreted protein, Rh5-interacting protein and cysteine-rich protective antigen. Here, we ..
View full abstractGrants
Awarded by State Government of Victoria
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank Australian Red Cross Blood Service for blood, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Monoclonal Laboratory for monoclonal antibodies, and Ellen Knuepfer for the Pfs47-DiCre parasite line. This work was possible through grants from The Wellcome Trust (109662/Z/15/Z (to A.F.C.), 202749/Z/16/Z (to A.F.C.)) and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) (APP1194535 to A.F.C.) and Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Support grant (Institutional grant).