Journal article
Disassembly activity of actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) is associated with distinct cellular processes in apicomplexan parasites
S Haase, D Zimmermann, MA Olshina, M Wilkinson, F Fisher, YH Tan, RJ Stewart, CJ Tonkin, W Wong, DR Kovar, J Baum
Molecular Biology of the Cell | Published : 2015
Abstract
Proteins of the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin family have been shown to be crucial for the motility and survival of apicomplexan parasites. However, the mechanisms by which ADF proteins fulfill their function remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the comparative activities of ADF proteins from Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum, the human malaria parasite, using a conditional T. gondii ADF-knockout line complemented with ADF variants from either species. We show that P. falciparum ADF1 can fully restore native TgADF activity, demonstrating functional conservation between parasites. Strikingly, mutation of a key basic residue (Lys-72), previously implica..
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Awarded by Wellcome Trust
Funding Acknowledgements
We acknowledge L. David Sibley and his laboratory for generous provision of the conditional TgADF line and antibodies, as well as Connie Li Wai Suen for statistical advice. Experimental data presented here were made possible through Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Support and Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Independent Research Institute Infrastructure Support. The research was directly supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Project Grant (APP1024678 to J.B.) and Human Frontier Science Program Young Investigator Program Grant (RGY0071/2011; J.B. and D.R.K.). M.A.O. is supported through a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Dora Lush Scholarship (APP1018002), with work here supported through an Overseas Research Experience Scholarship and travel award provided by the University of Melbourne and the Australian Society of Parasitology, respectively. W.W. is supported through an Early Career Fellowship (APP1053801) from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. J.B. was supported through a Future Fellowship (FT100100112) from the Australian Research Council and is currently supported by a New Investigator Award from the Wellcome Trust (100993/Z/13/Z).