Genetic investigation of tricarboxylic acid metabolism during the plasmodium falciparum life cycle

Hangjun Ke, Ian A. Lewis, Joanne M. Morrisey, Kyle J. McLean, Suresh M. Ganesan, Heather J. Painter, Michael W. Mather, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, Manuel Llinás, Akhil B. Vaidya

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

118 Scopus citations

Abstract

New antimalarial drugs are urgently needed to control drug-resistant forms of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Mitochondrial electron transport is the target of both existing and new antimalarials. Herein, we describe 11 genetic knockout (KO) lines that delete six of the eight mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes. Although all TCA KOs grew normally in asexual blood stages, these metabolic deficiencies halted life-cycle progression in later stages. Specifically, aconitase KO parasites arrested as late gametocytes, whereas α-ketoglutarate-dehydrogenase-deficient parasites failed to develop oocysts in the mosquitoes. Mass spectrometry analysis of 13C-isotope-labeled TCA mutant parasites showed that P.falciparum has significant flexibility in TCA metabolism. This flexibility manifested itself through changes in pathway fluxes and through altered exchange of substrates between cytosolic and mitochondrial pools. Our findings suggest that mitochondrial metabolic plasticity is essential for parasite development.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)164-174
Number of pages11
JournalCell Reports
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 7 2015

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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