Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum parasitophorous vacuolar protein 1 (PfPV1), a protein unique to malaria parasites, is localized in the parasitophorous vacuolar (PV) and is essential for parasite growth. Previous studies suggested that PfPV1 cooperates with the Plasmodium translocon of exported proteins (PTEX) complex to export various proteins from the PV. However, the structure and function of PfPV1 have not been determined in detail. In this study, we undertook the expression, purification, and characterization of PfPV1. The tetramer appears to be the structural unit of PfPV1. The activity of PfPV1 appears to be similar to that of molecular chaperones, and it may interact with various proteins. PfPV1 could substitute CtHsp40 in the CtHsp104, CtHsp70, and CtHsp40 protein disaggregation systems. Based on these results, we propose a model in which PfPV1 captures various PV proteins and delivers them to PTEX through a specific interaction with HSP101.
Highlights
Malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium
Since the central pore of EXP2 is too narrow for the folded proteins, it is hypothesized that HSP101 unfolds these proteins and threads them through the PTEX pore
PfPV1-His was overexpressed in the soluble fraction, this protein was difficult to purify by Ni2+-affinity chromatography (Supplementary Figure S1)
Summary
Malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium. Plasmodium falciparum is the most virulent species of this genus, infecting humans and causing serious problems worldwide [1]. Since the central pore of EXP2 is too narrow for the folded proteins, it is hypothesized that HSP101 unfolds these proteins and threads them through the PTEX pore. Supporting this hypothesis, inhibiting HSP101 induces the accumulation of exported proteins in the PV space [9]. Due to the reduced levels of these proteins, the modification of the host cell by the protozoa was clearly weakened [26] These studies strongly suggest that PfPV1 is closely related to the protein export machinery PTEX and exported proteins. We determined how PfPV1 is related to protein export by investigating the biochemical characterization of PfPV1
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