Definition
In living things movement is generated by a range of molecular motors that include flagella/cilia, kinesin and dynein movement on microtubules, and actomyosin-based systems. Malaria parasites of the genus Plasmodiumand other members of the Apicomplexa phylum use an actomyosin motor for motility and invasion of host cells and tissues. The malaria parasite has both intracellular and extracellular stages during its life cycle. Some of these extracellular forms, known as zoites, are polarized cells specially adapted for migration through and invasion of host cells. The zoite stages all share a common structure, including a variety of secretory organelles at the apical end of the cell, as well as a distinctive double-membrane structure called the inner membrane complex (IMC) that is located immediately below the cell plasmalemma. These apical organelles and the IMC are key to...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Abbreviations
- CTD:
-
C-terminal domain
- GAP:
-
Glideosome-associated protein
- IMC:
-
Inner membrane complex
- myoA:
-
Myosin A
- MTIP:
-
Myosin A tail domain interacting protein
- TRAP:
-
Thrombospondin-related anonymous protein
References
Aikawa M, Miller LH, Johnson J, Rabbege J. Erythrocyte entry by malarial parasites. A moving junction between erythrocyte and parasite. J Cell Biol. 1978;77:72–82.
Angrisano F, Riglar DT, Sturm A, Volz JC, Delves MJ, Zuccala ES, et al. Spatial localisation of actin filaments across developmental stages of the malaria parasite. PLoS One. 2012;7:e32188.
Bartholdson SJ, Bustamante LY, Crosnier C, Johnson S, Lea S, Rayner JC, et al. Semaphorin-7A is an erythrocyte receptor for P. falciparum merozoite-specific TRAP homolog, MTRAP. PLoS Pathog. 2012;8:e1003031.
Baum J, Papenfuss AT, Baum B, Speed TP, Cowman AF. Regulation of apicomplexan actin-based motility. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2006a;4:621–8.
Baum J, Richard D, Healer J, Rug M, Krnajski Z, Gilberger TW, et al. A conserved molecular motor drives cell invasion and gliding motility across malaria life cycle stages and other apicomplexan parasites. J Biol Chem. 2006b;281:5197–208.
Baum J, Tonkin CJ, Paul AS, Rug M, Smith BJ, Gould SB, et al. A malaria parasite formin regulates actin polymerization and localizes to the parasite-erythrocyte moving junction during invasion. Cell Host Microbe. 2008;3:188–98.
Bosch J, Buscaglia CA, Krumm B, Ingason BP, Lucas R, Roach C, et al. Aldolase provides an unusual binding site for thrombospondin-related anonymous protein in the invasion machinery of the malaria parasite. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007;104:7015–20.
Bullen HE, Tonkin CJ, O’Donnell RA, Tham WH, Papenfuss AT, Gould S, et al. A novel family of apicomplexan glideosome-associated proteins with an inner membrane-anchoring role. J Biol Chem. 2009;284:25353–63.
Cowman AF, Berry D, Baum J. The cellular and molecular basis for malaria parasite invasion of the human red blood cell. J Cell Biol. 2012;198:961–71.
Douse CH, Green JL, Salgado PS, Simpson PJ, Thomas JC, Langsley G, et al. Regulation of the plasmodium motor complex: phosphorylation of myosin A tail-interacting protein (MTIP) loosens its grip on MyoA. J Biol Chem. 2012;287:36968–77.
Ejigiri I, Ragheb DR, Pino P, Coppi A, Bennett BL, Soldati-Favre D, et al. Shedding of TRAP by a rhomboid protease from the malaria sporozoite surface is essential for gliding motility and sporozoite infectivity. PLoS Pathog. 2012;8:e1002725.
Farrow RE, Green J, Katsimitsoulia Z, Taylor WR, Holder AA, Molloy JE. The mechanism of erythrocyte invasion by the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2011;22:953–60.
Foth BJ, Goedecke MC, Soldati D. New insights into myosin evolution and classification. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006;103:3681–6.
Frenal K, Polonais V, Marq JB, Stratmann R, Limenitakis J, Soldati-Favre D. Functional dissection of the apicomplexan glideosome molecular architecture. Cell Host Microbe. 2010;8:343–57.
Green JL, Martin SR, Fielden J, Ksagoni A, Grainger M, Yim Lim BY, et al. The MTIP-myosin A complex in blood stage malaria parasites. J Mol Biol. 2006;355:933–41.
Green JL, Rees-Channer RR, Howell SA, Martin SR, Knuepfer E, Taylor HM, et al. The motor complex of Plasmodium falciparum: phosphorylation by a calcium-dependent protein kinase. J Biol Chem. 2008;283:30980–9.
Hartman MA, Spudich JA. The myosin superfamily at a glance. J Cell Sci. 2012;125:1627–32.
Holder AA, Veigel C. Formin’ an invasion machine: actin polymerization in invading apicomplexans. Trends Parasitol. 2009;25:1–3.
Jewett TJ, Sibley LD. Aldolase forms a bridge between cell surface adhesins and the actin cytoskeleton in apicomplexan parasites. Mol Cell. 2003;11:885–94.
Jones ML, Collins MO, Goulding D, Choudhary JS, Rayner JC. Analysis of protein palmitoylation reveals a pervasive role in plasmodium development and pathogenesis. Cell Host Microbe. 2012;12:246–58.
Lasonder E, Green JL, Camarda G, Talabani H, Holder AA, Langsley G, et al. The Plasmodium falciparum schizont phosphoproteome reveals extensive phosphatidylinositol and cAMP-protein kinase A signaling. J Proteome Res. 2012a;11:5323–37.
Lasonder E, Treeck M, Alam M, Tobin AB. Insights into the Plasmodium falciparum schizont phospho-proteome. Microbes Infect. 2012b;14:811–9.
Nebl T, Prieto JH, Kapp E, Smith BJ, Williams MJ, Yates 3rd JR, et al. Quantitative in vivo analyses reveal calcium-dependent phosphorylation sites and identifies a novel component of the Toxoplasma invasion motor complex. PLoS Pathog. 2011;7:e1002222.
Opitz C, Soldati D. ‘The glideosome’: a dynamic complex powering gliding motion and host cell invasion by Toxoplasma gondii. Mol Microbiol. 2002;45:597–604.
Pal-Bhowmick I, Andersen J, Srinivasan P, Narum DL, Bosch J, Miller LH. Binding of aldolase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase to the cytoplasmic tails of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite duffy binding-like and reticulocyte homology ligands. MBio. 2012;3:e00292–12.
Pomel S, Luk FC, Beckers CJ. Host cell egress and invasion induce marked relocations of glycolytic enzymes in Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites. PLoS Pathog. 2008;4:e1000188.
Rees-Channer RR, Martin SR, Green JL, Bowyer PW, Grainger M, Molloy JE, et al. Dual acylation of the 45 kDa gliding-associated protein (GAP45) in Plasmodium falciparum merozoites. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2006;149:113–6.
Ridzuan MA, Moon RW, Knuepfer E, Black S, Holder AA, Green JL. Subcellular location, phosphorylation and assembly into the motor complex of GAP45 during Plasmodium falciparum schizont development. PLoS One. 2012;7:e33845.
Schmitz S, Grainger M, Howell S, Calder LJ, Gaeb M, Pinder JC, et al. Malaria parasite actin filaments are very short. J Mol Biol. 2005;349:113–25.
Schmitz S, Schaap IA, Kleinjung J, Harder S, Grainger M, Calder L, et al. Malaria parasite actin polymerization and filament structure. J Biol Chem. 2010;285:36577–85.
Shen B, Sibley LD. The moving junction, a key portal to host cell invasion by apicomplexan parasites. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2012;15:449–55.
Skillman KM, Diraviyam K, Khan A, Tang K, Sept D, Sibley LD. Evolutionarily divergent, unstable filamentous actin is essential for gliding motility in apicomplexan parasites. PLoS Pathog. 2011;7:e1002280.
Skillman KM, Ma CI, Fremont DH, Diraviyam K, Cooper JA, Sept D, et al. The unusual dynamics of parasite actin result from isodesmic polymerization. Nat Commun. 2013;4:2285.
Thomas JC, Green JL, Howson RI, Simpson P, Moss DK, Martin SR, et al. Interaction and dynamics of the Plasmodium falciparum MTIP-MyoA complex, a key component of the invasion motor in the malaria parasite. Mol Biosyst. 2010;6:494–8.
Thomas DC, Ahmed A, Gilberger TW, Sharma P. Regulation of Plasmodium falciparum glideosome associated protein 45 (PfGAP45) phosphorylation. PLoS One. 2012;7:e35855.
Yeoman JA, Hanssen E, Maier AG, Klonis N, Maco B, Baum J, et al. Tracking glideosome-associated protein 50 reveals the development and organization of the inner membrane complex of Plasmodium falciparum. Eukaryot Cell. 2011;10:556–64.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Green, J.L., Moon, R.W., Holder, A.A. (2013). Merozoite Linear Motor. In: Hommel, M., Kremsner, P. (eds) Encyclopedia of Malaria. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8757-9_57-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8757-9_57-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-8757-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine