title: Characterization of the malaria parasite protein PfTip, a novel invasion-related protein.
abstract: Malaria is one of the most common infective diseases in the world. Invasion of host erythrocytes by the malaria parasite is crucial for pathogen survival and pathogenesis. Various proteins mediate parasite invasion and identification of novel invasion-related proteins may aid in elucidating the underlying molecular mechanism and new intervention strategies for malaria control. This study characterized the PfTip protein, a homolog of the human T‑cell immunomodulatory protein, and examined its function in preventing parasite infection. Bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation were adopted in the present study. Bioinformatics analysis showed that PfTip has a β‑propeller fold in its structure and is highly expressed at the early ring stage. TNFRSF14 was predicted to be a candidate interactant of PfTip. Further analyses showed that PfTip blockage by sera inhibited erythrocyte invasion by the malaria parasite. The protective effect of PfTip was further confirmed through in vivo analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to provide evidence on the function of PfTip in erythrocyte parasite invasion. Additional assays involving the receptor of this protein are currently underway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xuewu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yuxiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yinghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins