title: Role of calcium and erythrocyte cytoskeleton phosphorylation in the invasion of Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: The role of calcium in the invasion of the human erythrocyte by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum was studied. The intraerythrocytic and intraparasitic concentrations of Ca2+ were modified using calcium-ionophore A23187 and the chelator EGTA. The Ca2+ inside the parasite appeared to be necessary for the normal completion of invasion. We determined that in recently invaded erythrocytes (2 h), the Ca2+ concentration increased about 10 times. Merozoite invasion produced a decrease in beta-spectrin phosphorylation and an increase in the phosphorylation of a protein with band 4.1 mobility. These changes were similar to those produced by an ionophore-mediated Ca2+ influx in uninfected erythrocytes. These facts support the idea that a calcium influx into erythrocytes might precede or accompany merozoite invasion, triggering a series of molecular events, including phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of cystoskeletal proteins.
authors: Group of Biochemistry, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Wasserman
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Vernot
authors: P M
authors: PM
authors: Mendoza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D003720:Densitometry; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D002118:Calcium