Myosin 1f and Proline-rich 13 are transcriptionally upregulated yet functionally redundant in CD4 T cells during blood-stage Plasmodium infection

Abstract

Plasmodium-specific CD4+ T cells differentiate into effector and memory subsets during experimental malaria, via mechanisms that remain incompletely characterised. By mining scRNA-seq data of CD4+ T cells during Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi AS infection in mice, we identified two genes previously uncharacterised in T helper cells, long-tailed unconventional myosin 1f (Myo1f) and proline-rich13/taxanes-resistance 1 (Prr13/Txr1), which were upregulated during effector and memory differentiation. Myo1f is reported to regulate motility and granule exocytosis in myeloid and γδ T cells. Prr13/Txr1 is reported to transcriptionally regulate sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs. To test for cell-intrinsi..