title: Global proteomic analysis of prenylated proteins in Plasmodium falciparum using an alkyne-modified isoprenoid analogue.
abstract: Severe malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum infection remains a serious threat to health worldwide and new therapeutic targets are highly desirable. Small molecule inhibitors of prenyl transferases, enzymes that catalyze the post-translational isoprenyl modifications of proteins, exhibit potent antimalarial activity. The antimalarial actions of prenyltransferase inhibitors indicate that protein prenylation is required for malaria parasite development. In this study, we used a chemical biology strategy to experimentally characterize the entire complement of prenylated proteins in the human malaria parasite. In contrast to the expansive mammalian and fungal prenylomes, we find that P. falciparum possesses a restricted set of prenylated proteins. The prenylome of P. falciparum is dominated by Rab GTPases, in addition to a small number of prenylated proteins that also appear to function primarily in membrane trafficking. Overall, we found robust experimental evidence for a total of only thirteen prenylated proteins in P. falciparum, with suggestive evidence for an additional two probable prenyltransferase substrates. Our work contributes to an increasingly complete picture of essential, post-translational hydrophobic modifications in blood-stage P. falciparum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA.
authors.forename: Kiall F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Suazo
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schaber
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA.
authors.forename: Charuta C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Palsuledesai
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA.
authors.forename: Audrey R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Odom John
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA.
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Distefano
mesh_terms: D000480:Alkynes / Q000378:metabolism; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000378:metabolism*; D017368:Protein Prenylation; D020543:Proteome; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000480:Alkynes; D020543:Proteome; D015800:Protozoan Proteins