title: Interaction between sulphur mobilisation proteins SufB and SufC: evidence for an iron-sulphur cluster biogenesis pathway in the apicoplast of Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: The plastid of Plasmodium falciparum, the apicoplast, performs metabolic functions essential to the parasite. Various reactions in the plastid require the assembly of [Fe-S] prosthetic groups on participating proteins as well as the reductant activity of ferredoxin that is converted from its apo-form by the assembly of [Fe-S] clusters inside the apicoplast. The [Fe-S] assembly pathway involving sulphur mobilising Suf proteins has been predicted to function in the apicoplast with one component (PfSufB) encoded by the plastid genome itself. We demonstrate the ATPase activity of recombinant P. falciparum nuclear-encoded SufC and its localisation in the apicoplast. Further, an internal region of apicoplast SufB was used to detect PfSufB-PfSufC interaction in vitro; co-elution of SufB from parasite lysate with recombinant PfSufC on an affinity column also indicated an interaction of the two proteins. As a departure from bacterial SufB and similar to reported plant plastid SufB, apicoplast SufB exhibited ATPase activity, suggesting the evolution of specialised functions in the plastid counterparts. Our results provide experimental evidence for an active Suf pathway in the Plasmodium apicoplast.
authors: Division of Molecular and Structural Biology, Central Drug Research Institute, CSIR, Lucknow, India.
authors: Bijay
authors: B
authors: Kumar
authors: Sushma
authors: S
authors: Chaubey
authors: Priyanka
authors: P
authors: Shah
authors: Aiman
authors: A
authors: Tanveer
authors: Manish
authors: M
authors: Charan
authors: Mohammad Imran
authors: MI
authors: Siddiqi
authors: Saman
authors: S
authors: Habib
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018087:Plastids / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013455:Sulfur / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D013455:Sulfur; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases