Changes in lipid composition during sexual development of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Malaria Journal

Research

Melanie C. Ridgway¹  Alexander G. Maier¹  Melanie Rug²  Phuong N. Tran³  Todd W. Mitchell⁴  Simon H. J. Brown⁴ 

[1] Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia;Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia;Centre for Advanced Microscopy, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia;Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia;La Trobe Institute of Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia;School of Medicine and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia;

关键词: Malaria;    Plasmodium falciparum;    Lipids;    Gametocytes;    Host cell remodelling;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12936-016-1130-z

 received in 2015-10-20, accepted in 2016-01-23,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe development of differentiated sexual stages (gametocytes) within human red blood cells is essential for the propagation of the malaria parasite, since only mature gametocytes will survive in the mosquito’s midgut. Hence gametocytogenesis is a pre-requisite for transmission of the disease. Physiological changes involved in sexual differentiation are still enigmatic. In particular the lipid metabolism—despite being central to cellular regulation and development—is not well explored.MethodsHere the lipid profiles of red blood cells infected with the five different sexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum were analysed by mass spectrometry and compared to those from uninfected and asexual trophozoite infected erythrocytes.ResultsFundamental differences between erythrocytes infected with the different parasite stages were revealed. In mature gametocytes many lipids that decrease in the trophozoite and early gametocyte infected red blood cells are regained. In particular, regulators of membrane fluidity, cholesterol and sphingomyelin, increased significantly during gametocyte maturation. Neutral lipids (serving mainly as caloriometric reserves) increased from 3 % of total lipids in uninfected to 27 % in stage V gametocyte infected red blood cells. The major membrane lipid class (phospholipids) decreased during gametocyte development.ConclusionsThe lipid profiles of infected erythrocytes are characteristic for the particular parasite life cycle and maturity stages of gametocytes. The obtained lipid profiles are crucial in revealing the lipid metabolism of malaria parasites and identifying targets to interfere with this deadly disease.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Tran et al. 2016