9月27日，英國(guó)諾丁漢大學(xué)研究人員報(bào)告說(shuō)，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)一種蛋白質(zhì)對(duì)瘧原蟲(chóng)雄性配子的移動(dòng)能力起著關(guān)鍵作用,，通過(guò)擾亂這種蛋白質(zhì)的功能，可降低雄性配子與雌性配子配對(duì)的成功率。這一發(fā)現(xiàn)有助于防控瘧疾,。
在瘧原蟲(chóng)的生存周期中，其孢子體通過(guò)蚊子叮咬進(jìn)入人體,，在血液中發(fā)育,，到一定階段后又通過(guò)蚊子叮咬進(jìn)入蚊子體內(nèi)，并變?yōu)樾坌耘渥雍痛菩耘渥?。它們?cè)谖米芋w內(nèi)結(jié)合生成新的孢子體,，再通過(guò)蚊子叮咬進(jìn)入人體，如此循環(huán)往復(fù),。
諾丁漢大學(xué)研究人員在新一期美國(guó)學(xué)術(shù)刊物《科學(xué)公共圖書(shū)館綜合卷》上報(bào)告說(shuō),，他們發(fā)現(xiàn),，瘧原蟲(chóng)雄性配子鞭毛結(jié)構(gòu)中的PF16蛋白質(zhì)影響著鞭毛功能的發(fā)揮，如果利用藥物擾亂該蛋白質(zhì)的功能,，鞭毛的功能就會(huì)出現(xiàn)異常,，從而使雄性配子移動(dòng)性下降，導(dǎo)致配對(duì)效率降低,。據(jù)介紹,，瘧原蟲(chóng)雄性配子依靠其伸出的鞭毛移動(dòng)，尋找雌性配子并與之結(jié)合,，
研究人員里塔·特瓦里表示,，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)將有助于研發(fā)治療瘧疾的新手段。
瘧原蟲(chóng)經(jīng)蚊子傳播給人后會(huì)引起瘧疾,，這種疾病在熱帶及亞熱帶地區(qū)發(fā)病較多,，其癥狀包括發(fā)熱、頭痛,、嘔吐等,，嚴(yán)重時(shí)可致人死亡。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦英文摘要：
PLoS ONE 5(9): e12901. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012901
The Armadillo Repeat Protein PF16 Is Essential for Flagellar Structure and Function in Plasmodium Male Gametes
Ursula Straschil1,2#, Arthur M. Talman2#, David J. P. Ferguson3, Karen A. Bunting1, Zhengyao Xu1, Elizabeth Bailes1, Robert E. Sinden2, Anthony A. Holder4, Elizabeth F. Smith5, Juliet C. Coates6, Rita Tewari1,2*
1 Institute of Genetics, School of Biology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom, 2 Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, 3 Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom, 4 Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London, United Kingdom, 5 Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America, 6 School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Malaria, caused by the apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium, threatens 40% of the world's population. Transmission between vertebrate and insect hosts depends on the sexual stages of the life-cycle. The male gamete of Plasmodium parasite is the only developmental stage that possesses a flagellum. Very little is known about the identity or function of proteins in the parasite's flagellar biology. Here, we characterise a Plasmodium PF16 homologue using reverse genetics in the mouse malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. PF16 is a conserved Armadillo-repeat protein that regulates flagellar structure and motility in organisms as diverse as green algae and mice. We show that P. berghei PF16 is expressed in the male gamete flagellum, where it plays a crucial role maintaining the correct microtubule structure in the central apparatus of the axoneme as studied by electron microscopy. Disruption of the PF16 gene results in abnormal flagellar movement and reduced fertility, but does not lead to complete sterility, unlike pf16 mutations in other organisms. Using homology modelling, bioinformatics analysis and complementation studies in Chlamydomonas, we show that some regions of the PF16 protein are highly conserved across all eukaryotes, whereas other regions may have species-specific functions. PF16 is the first ARM-repeat protein characterised in the malaria parasite genus Plasmodium and this study opens up a novel model for analysis of Plasmodium flagellar biology that may provide unique insights into an ancient organelle and suggest novel intervention strategies to control the malaria parasite.
