Spatial localisation of actin filaments across developmental stages of the malaria parasite

F Angrisano; DT Riglar; A Sturm; JC Volz; MJ Delves; ES Zuccala; L Turnbull; C Dekiwadia; MA Olshina; DS Marapana; W Wong; V Mollard; CH Bradin; CJ Tonkin; PW Gunning; SA Ralph; CB Whitchurch; RE Sinden; AF Cowman; GI McFadden; J Baum

Journal article

Spatial localisation of actin filaments across developmental stages of the malaria parasite

F Angrisano, DT Riglar, A Sturm, JC Volz, MJ Delves, ES Zuccala, L Turnbull, C Dekiwadia, MA Olshina, DS Marapana, W Wong, V Mollard, CH Bradin, CJ Tonkin, PW Gunning, SA Ralph, CB Whitchurch, RE Sinden, AF Cowman, GI McFadden Show all

Plos One | Published : 2012

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032188

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Abstract

Actin dynamics have been implicated in a variety of developmental processes during the malaria parasite lifecycle. Parasite motility, in particular, is thought to critically depend on an actomyosin motor located in the outer pellicle of the parasite cell. Efforts to understand the diverse roles actin plays have, however, been hampered by an inability to detect microfilaments under native conditions. To visualise the spatial dynamics of actin we generated a parasite-specific actin antibody that shows preferential recognition of filamentous actin and applied this tool to different lifecycle stages (merozoites, sporozoites and ookinetes) of the human and mouse malaria parasite species Plasmodiu..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Fiona Angrisano Author

Christopher Tonkin Author

Stuart Ralph Author

Alan Cowman Author

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Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

This work was made possible through Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Support and Australian Government NHMRC IRIISS. Funding for the research came from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC Project Grants 516747 JB & CJT and 637341 JB & GIM). DTR is supported by a Pratt Foundation PhD scholarship through the University of Melbourne; JCV was initially supported by a HFSP long-term fellowship; CJT is supported by an NHMRC Career Development Award (575523); LT is supported by a Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Technology, Sydney; PWG was a Principal Research Fellow of the NHMRC; SAR is supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT0990350); CBW is supported by a Senior Research Fellowship from the NHMRC; AFC is an Australia Fellow of the NHMRC. GIM is an ARC Federation Fellow with support from the NHMRC; JB is supported by an ARC Future Fellowship (FT100100112). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.