Hemoglobins S and C Interfere with Actin Remodeling in Plasmodium falciparum–Infected Erythrocytes

M Cyrklaff, CP Sanchez, N Kilian, C Bisseye, J Simpore… - Science, 2011 - science.org
M Cyrklaff, CP Sanchez, N Kilian, C Bisseye, J Simpore, F Frischknecht, M Lanzer
Science, 2011science.org
The hemoglobins S and C protect carriers from severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
Here, we found that these hemoglobinopathies affected the trafficking system that directs
parasite-encoded proteins to the surface of infected erythrocytes. Cryoelectron tomography
revealed that the parasite generated a host-derived actin cytoskeleton within the cytoplasm
of wild-type red blood cells that connected the Maurer's clefts with the host cell membrane
and to which transport vesicles were attached. The actin cytoskeleton and the Maurer's clefts …
The hemoglobins S and C protect carriers from severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Here, we found that these hemoglobinopathies affected the trafficking system that directs parasite-encoded proteins to the surface of infected erythrocytes. Cryoelectron tomography revealed that the parasite generated a host-derived actin cytoskeleton within the cytoplasm of wild-type red blood cells that connected the Maurer’s clefts with the host cell membrane and to which transport vesicles were attached. The actin cytoskeleton and the Maurer’s clefts were aberrant in erythrocytes containing hemoglobin S or C. Hemoglobin oxidation products, enriched in hemoglobin S and C erythrocytes, inhibited actin polymerization in vitro and may account for the protective role in malaria.
AAAS