A female gametocyte-specific ABC transporter plays a role in lipid metabolism in the malaria parasite

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 4773
• Main Authors: Tran, Phuong N., Brown, Simon H. J., Mitchell, Todd W., Matuschewski, Kai, McMillan, Paul J., Kirk, Kiaran, Dixon, Matthew W. A., Maier, Alexander G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 08-09-2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13/109; 14; 14/35; 14/63; 38; 38/39; 631/326/417/2552; 631/80/313; 631/92/577; 82; 82/29; 82/80; 96; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters - genetics; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters - metabolism; Female; Germ Cells - metabolism; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Life Cycle Stages; Lipid Metabolism - genetics; Malaria, Falciparum - parasitology; Malaria, Falciparum - transmission; Male; multidisciplinary; Plasmodium falciparum - genetics; Plasmodium falciparum - growth & development; Plasmodium falciparum - metabolism; Protozoan Proteins - genetics; Protozoan Proteins - metabolism; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5773

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters serve a variety of physiological functions as well as play key roles in drug resistance. The genome of the human malaria parasite,
Plasmodium falciparum
, encodes multiple members of this family, one of which, gABCG2, is transcribed predominantly in the gametocyte stage. Here we use gene deletion and tagging to investigate the expression, localization and function of gABCG2. The protein is found in a single dot-like lipid-rich structure within female, but not male, gametocytes. gABCG2-knockout cell lines produce more gametocytes of both sexes. By contrast, cholesteryl esters, diacylglycerols and triacylglycerols are significantly reduced in gABCG2-knockout gametocyte stages. We propose a role for gABCG2 in the regulation of gametocyte numbers and in the accumulation of neutral lipids, which are likely important for parasite development in the insect stages of the parasite life cycle.
Production of male and female forms of the malaria parasite in an infected person is crucial for transmission of the disease. Here, Tran
et al.
show that an ABC transporter protein of the parasite, expressed in the female cells, modulates lipid accumulation and formation of sexual cells.