Pbcrk-1, the Plasmodium berghei orthologue of P. falciparum cdc-2 related kinase-1 (Pfcrk-1), is essential for completion of the intraerythrocytic asexual cycle.
The molecular mechanisms underlying gametocytogenesis in malaria parasites are not understood. Plasmodium falciparum cdc2-related kinase 1 (pfcrk-1), a gene that is expressed predominantly in gametocytes, bears homology to the PITSLRE subfamily of cyclin-dependent kinases and has been hypothesized to function as a negative regulator of the cell cycle. We attempted to knock-out pbcrk-1, the P. berghei orthologue of pfcrk-1, but were unable to recover P. berghei parasites with a disrupted pbcrk-1 locus. In contrast, an integration event at this locus that did not result in a loss-of-function of the pbcrk-1 gene was readily observed. This strongly suggests that a functional pbcrk-1 gene product is essential to intraerythrocytic asexual multiplication.
Rangarajan
Radha
R
Department of Immunology and Infectious diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Bei
Amy
A
Henry
Natohya
N
Madamet
Marylin
M
Parzy
Daniel
D
Nivez
Marie-Paule
MP
Doerig
Christian
C
Sultan
Ali
A
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D042846:CDC2-CDC28 Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D012100:Reproduction, Asexual / Q000502:physiology; D016415:Sequence Alignment
D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D042846:CDC2-CDC28 Kinases