Abstract text

Introduction

Sporozoites are the transmissible form of the malaria parasite Plasmodium. Sporozoites develop within oocysts in the mosquito midgut of Anopheles mosquitoes. To complete their life cycle they need to exit from the oocysts, invade the mosquito salivary gland, migrate in the skin and enter the liver. The molecular mechanisms of how the sporozoites exit the oocyst and efficiently enter the salivary gland are not clearly understood. TRP1 has been shown to have an important role in activating sporozoite motility within the oocyst and is crucial for its exit from the oocyst. Further experiments show that the C terminus of the protein plays a key role in the egress process and also affects salivary gland invasion.

Objectives

We aim to understand the role of the C terminus of TRP1 in more depth.

Materials & methods

Various molecular genetics methods were used to create different mutations in the C terminus. TRP1 was tagged with GFP to visualize the localization of the protein through live cell imaging and IFA. In vitro gliding assays were done on the sporozoites to assess their motility.

Results & conclusion

This showed that different parts of the TRP1 C-terminus play distinct roles in sporozoite egress, motility and invasion.