Contribution of parasite proteins to altered mechanical properties of malaria-infected red blood cells

Abstract

Red blood cells (RBCs) parasitized by Plasmodium falciparum are rigid and poorly deformable and show abnormal circulatory behavior. During parasite development, knob-associated histidine-rich protein (KAHRP) and P falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 3 (PfEMP3) are exported from the parasite and interact with the RBC membrane skeleton. Using micropipette aspiration, the membrane shear elastic modulus of RBCs infected with transgenic parasites (with kahrp or pfemp3 genes deleted) was measured to determine the contribution of these proteins to the increased rigidity of parasitized RBCs (PRBCs). In the absence of either protein, the level of membrane rigidification was significantly less tha..