Plasmodium falciparum Cysteine Rich Secretory Protein uniquely localizes to one end of male gametes

Abstract

Fertilization is a central event during the life cycle of most eukaryotic organisms and involves gamete recognition and fusion, ultimately resulting in zygote formation. Gamete fertilization in the malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites occurs inside the mosquito midgut and represents a major bottleneck in the life cycle. Cysteine Rich Secretory Proteins (CRISPs) are key molecules involved in fertilization in vertebrates and the presence of a CRISP ortholog in human malaria infective Plasmodium falciparum suggested a possible role in fertilization. Strikingly, P. falciparum CRISP exhibited a unique terminal localization in the male microgamete. Parasites with a CRISP gene deletion (P. falciparum crisp−) proliferated asexually similar to wildtype NF54 parasites and differentiated into gametocytes. Further analysis showed that Plasmodium falciparum crisp− gametocytes underwent exflagellation to form male gametes and no apparent defect in transmission to the mosquito vector was observed. These data show that P. falciparum CRISP is a marker for the apical end of the microgamete and that it might only have an ancillary or redundant function in the male sexual stages.