P. Falciparum, Replicates Within a Membrane-Bound Intraerythrocytic Parasitophorous Vacuole (PV)

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P. Falciparum, Replicates Within a Membrane-Bound Intraerythrocytic Parasitophorous Vacuole (PV) Homing in on getting out: Characterisation of SERA6, a putative malarial protease with a role in egress Andrea Ruecker March 2012 MRC National Institute for Medical Research Division of Parasitology Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA Division of Infection and Immunity University College London This thesis is submitted to University College London for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 1 Declaration Declaration I, Andrea Ruecker, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Andrea Ruecker 2 Abstract Abstract The human malaria parasite, P. falciparum, replicates within a membrane-bound intraerythrocytic parasitophorous vacuole (PV). The resulting daughter merozoites actively escape from the host cell in a process called egress. There is convincing evidence that proteases are key players in this step. These proteases could serve as excellent targets for the development of new antimalarial drugs. P. falciparum Serine Repeat Antigens (SERAs) form a family of 9 proteins all containing a central papain- like domain that identifies them as putative cysteine proteases. They are highly conserved throughout all Plasmodium species, and there is strong genetic evidence that they may play a role in egress. P. falciparum SERA6 is one of the most highly- expressed SERAs in asexual erythrocyte stages. In this study biochemical fractionation and indirect immunofluorescence analysis were used to confirm localisation of SERA6 to the PV. It was shown that SERA6 is a substrate for PfSUB1, a subtilisin-like protease which is crucial for egress and which is released into the PV just prior to egress. SERA6 is cleaved by PfSUB1 at 3 positions, releasing the papain-like domain. Processing of SERA6 by PfSUB1 is partially indispensable in in vitro P. falciparum parasites, as some mutations in SERA6 that block cleavage are not tolerated in the parasite. In addition, the putative catalytic Cys of SERA6 cannot be replaced with a non-catalytic Ala residue in the parasite, indicating SERA6 is an indispensable cysteine protease. Finally it was demonstrated that PfSUB1-mediated processing of the P. berghei orthologue of SERA6 converts it to an active cysteine protease. It can be proposed that SERA6 is a key player in a proteolytic cascade that leads to egress of the blood-stage malaria parasite. 3 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor Dr Mike Blackman. I regard him as an exceptional and unique scientist and person and I am most grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him during my PhD. I would like to thank him for his never ending patience and his deep believe in my skills. Mike Shea, your wise words, unending guidance, support and sense of humour were simply invaluable. Without you the project would have not been possible. Many many thanks to each and every member (old and new) of the Blackman lab. Thanks for listening to my monologues that allowed me to perfect my rambling skills. I am convinced that without the support of the entire group I would have never finished this project. The support in and outside the lab has been irreplaceable to me. Natalie, I could have literally not done my PhD without you. You are my porter carrying me up to the peak and still got never tired of listening to me although we never made it to the Kilimanjaro. Fiona and Chris, I don’t know what the lab would be without your exceptional organisational and social skills and I am so grateful for your guidance on every single day. Thanks for your patience and for making those long hours with all the parasites so much more fun. The lab would not work without the two of you. Robert thanks so much for your inspiration and the fact that you would never got tired to come up with new ideas and then sit down with me and helped me to realise them. Thanks Rob for your honest, cheerful and helpful advice throughout and especially the writing up phase. I would like to thank Sharon and Chrislaine for lightening up my days with your never ending knowledge and for your continuous and never ending patience towards my questions and discussions. Matt thanks for always listening to me and making me feel foolish in my mistakes. I would like to thank all my fellow PhD students Caty, Maria and Sujaan for making the daily routine just that little bit more fun. I would also like to thank Malcolm for cheering me up in the early mornings. Thanks to the Holder lab especially Claire and Oniz for listening to the wanderings of my mind, thanks for supporting me, for your friendship and thanks for keeping up the fun. Thanks also to David, Judith and Ellen for your helpful discussion and frank advice. I would also like to thank Volker Heussler, for providing us with an antibody which contributed hugely to the outcome of this PhD and all those who kindly gave me reagents for this work. Thanks also to my old NIMR cottage house mates. Jen thanks for sharing the lows and the highs and for always supporting me every step along the way with your positiveness. Meine Familie, ich kann euch nicht genug danken. Ihr habt immer an mich geglaubt, mir alles ermoeglicht und mir immer wieder gesagt, dass ich alles erreichen kann was ich moechte. Finally thanks to James. It wasn’t easy was it. You are my all. Ewig Dein, ewig mein, ewig uns. 4 List of Abbreviations List of Abbreviations 1 6xHis Hexahistidine A Aa Amino acid Ab Antibody AMA1 Apical membrane antigen 1 B BSA Bovine serum albumin C CDPK Calcium-dependent protein kinase CN Clear Native CSP Circumsporozoite protein D DAPI 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole DBL Duffy binding-like protein DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane dH2O Distilled water ddH2O Double distilled water DMSO Dimethyl sulfoxide DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid DPAP3 Dipeptidyl peptidase 3 DTT Dithiothreitol E trans-Epoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamido(4-guanidino)butane, L- E64 trans-3-Carboxyoxiran-2-carbonyl-L-leucylagmatine,N-(trans- Epoxysuccinyl)-L-leucine 4-guanidinobutylamide EBA Erythrocyte binding antigen ECL Enhanced Chemiluminescence 5 List of Abbreviations ECP1 Egress cysteine protease 1 EDTA Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid EM Immunoelectron microscopy EPM Erythrocyte plasma membrane ER Endoplasmatic reticulum ETRAMP Early transcribed membrane protein G GDP Gross domestic product GST Glutathione S-transferase H H Hour HA Haemagluttinin HAP Histoaspartic protease HIV Human immunodeficiency virus HPLC High pressure liquid chromatography HRP Horse Raddish Peroxidase I IB Inclusion bodies IFA Indirect Immunofluorescence Analysis IP Immunoprecipitation iRBCs Infected red blood cells IRS Indoor residual spraying ITN Insecticide treated bednets K kDa Kilodalton M Mab Monoclonal antibody MAC Membrane attack complex 6 List of Abbreviations MIC Microneme protein min Minutes MPP Microneme protein protease MSP Merozoite surface protein N NC membrane Nitrocellulose membrane P PAGE Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis PBS Phosphate buffer saline PBST PBS Tween 20 PCR Polymerase chain reaction PD PfSUB1 prodomain PEXEL Plasmodium export element PfAARP2 P. falciparum asparagine and aspartate rich protein 2 PfEMP1 P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 PfRh P. falciparum reticulocyte binding homologues PfROM1 P. falciparum rhomboid 1 PfRhopH P. falciparum rhoptry protein complex PfSUB P. falciparum subtilisin-like serine protease PHMB p-hydroxymercuribenzoate PIC Protease inhibitor cocktail PKG Protein kinase G PoPS Prediction of protease specificity PPM Parasite plasma membrane PTRAMP Plasmodium thrombospondin related apical merozoite protein PV Parasitophorous vacuole PVDF Polyvinylidene fluoride PVM Parasitophorous vacuole membrane R RBC Red blood cell 7 List of Abbreviations RESA Ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen RON Rhoptry neck Rpm rounds per minute RT Room temperature S Sec Seconds SDS Sodium dodecyl sulphate SERA Serine repeat antigen T TB Mycobacterium tuberculosis TgMIC T. gondii microneme protein TPCK N-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone TX-100 Triton X-100 V v/v volume/volume W w/v weight/volume WHO World Health Organization 8 Table of Contents Table of Contents ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ 4 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.......................................................................................... 5 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ............................................................................. 14 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 16 1.1 MALARIA: THE DISEASE IN ALL ITS ASPECTS ..................................................... 17 1.1.1 A history of bad air .................................................................................... 17 1.1.2 Malaria: a socio-economic burden of the developing world ....................... 19 1.1.3 Apicomplexa ............................................................................................. 20 1.1.4 Plasmodium: an introduction ..................................................................... 22 1.1.5 Plasmodium distribution and mortality ....................................................... 23 1.1.6 Experimental understanding of P. falciparum ............................................ 23 1.1.7 Pathology: The disease in different aspects .............................................
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