Repurposing the mitotic machinery to drive cellular elongation and chromatin reorganisation in Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes
- Author(s)
- Li, J; Shami, GJ; Cho, E; Liu, B; Hanssen, E; Dixon, MWA; Tilley, L;
- Details
- Publication Year 2022-08-27,Volume 13,Issue #1,Page 5054
- Journal Title
- Nature Communications
- Abstract
- The sexual stage gametocytes of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, adopt a falciform (crescent) shape driven by the assembly of a network of microtubules anchored to a cisternal inner membrane complex (IMC). Using 3D electron microscopy, we show that a non-mitotic microtubule organizing center (MTOC), embedded in the parasite's nuclear membrane, orients the endoplasmic reticulum and the nascent IMC and seeds cytoplasmic microtubules. A bundle of microtubules extends into the nuclear lumen, elongating the nuclear envelope and capturing the chromatin. Classical mitotic machinery components, including centriolar plaque proteins, Pfcentrin-1 and -4, microtubule-associated protein, End-binding protein-1, kinetochore protein, PfNDC80 and centromere-associated protein, PfCENH3, are involved in the nuclear microtubule assembly/disassembly process. Depolymerisation of the microtubules using trifluralin prevents elongation and disrupts the chromatin, centromere and kinetochore organisation. We show that the unusual non-mitotic hemispindle plays a central role in chromatin organisation, IMC positioning and subpellicular microtubule formation in gametocytes.
- Publisher
- NPG
- Research Division(s)
- Infectious Diseases And Immune Defence
- PubMed ID
- 36030238
- Publisher's Version
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32579-4
- Open Access at Publisher's Site
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32579-4- Terms of Use/Rights Notice
- Refer to copyright notice on published article.
Creation Date: 2022-08-30 09:11:24
Last Modified: 2022-08-30 09:13:11