title: Evidence that Plasmodium falciparum diacylglycerol acyltransferase is essential for intraerythrocytic proliferation.
abstract: In triacylglycerol (TAG)-accumulating organisms, the physiological roles of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), a principal enzyme in the major biosynthetic pathway for TAG, appear to be diverse. Apicomplexan parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, shows unique features in TAG metabolism and trafficking during intraerythrocytic development, and unlike most eukaryotes, only one open reading frame (ORF) encoding a candidate DGAT could be found in its genome. However, whether this candidate ORF encodes P. falciparum DGAT and its physiological relevance have not been assessed. Here, we demonstrate that the ORF is transcribed as a approximately 3.6 kb single mRNA throughout intraerythrocytic development, markedly elevated at trophozoite, schizont, and segmented schizont, and indeed encodes a protein exhibiting DGAT activity. Further, we provide evidence that the parasite in which the ORF was disrupted via double crossover recombination cannot be enriched, implying a fundamental role of PfDGAT in intraerythrocytic proliferation.
authors.affiliation: PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, 4-1-8 Honcho Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.
authors.forename: Nirianne Marie Q
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Palacpac
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hiramine
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seto
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hiramatsu
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Horii
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitamura
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D051048:Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000469:parasitology; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D000217:Acyltransferases; D051048:Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase