Journal article
A GFP-Actin reporter line to explore microfilament dynamics across the malaria parasite lifecycle
F Angrisano, MJ Delves, A Sturm, V Mollard, GI McFadden, RE Sinden, J Baum
Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology | ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV | Published : 2012
Abstract
Malaria parasite motility relies on an internal parasite actomyosin motor that, when linked to the host cell substrate, propels motile zoites forward. Despite their key role in this process, attempts to visualize actin microfilaments (F-actin) during motility and under native microscopy conditions have not to date been successful. Towards facilitating their visualization we present here a Plasmodium berghei transgenic line in which a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-actin fusion is constitutively expressed through the lifecycle. Focused investigation of the largest motile form, the insect stage ookinete, demonstrates a large cytosolic pool of actin with no obvious F-actin structures. However,..
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Awarded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Funding Acknowledgements
This work was made possible through Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Support and Australian Government NHMRC IRIISS. Research was funded through a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) (Project Grant 637341 JB and GIM) and made possible through separate travel grants to JB from the Fluorescence Applications in Biotechnology and Life Sciences scheme (FABLS) and NHMRC/Australian Research Council (ARC) Networks for Parasitology. GIM is an ARC Federation Fellow and HHMI International Research Scholar with support from the NHMRC; JB is supported by an ARC Future Fellowship (FT100100112).