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Anopheles Midgut FREP1 Mediates Plasmodium Invasion
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Anopheles Midgut FREP1 Mediates Plasmodium Invasion

Genwei Zhang, Guodong Niu, Caio M Franca, Yuemei Dong, Xiaohong Wang, Noah S Butler, George Dimopoulos and Jun Li
The Journal of biological chemistry, Vol.290(27), pp.16490-16501
07/03/2015
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.623165
PMCID: PMC4505404
PMID: 25991725
url
https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m114.623165View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Malaria transmission depends on sexual stage Plasmodium parasites successfully invading Anopheline mosquito midguts following a blood meal. However, the molecular mechanisms of Plasmodium invasion of mosquito midguts have not been fully elucidated. Previously, we showed that genetic polymorphisms in the fibrinogen-related protein 1 (FREP1) gene are significantly associated with Plasmodium falciparum infection in Anopheles gambiae, and FREP1 is important for Plasmodium berghei infection of mosquitoes. Here we identify that the FREP1 protein is secreted from the mosquito midgut epithelium and integrated as tetramers into the peritrophic matrix, a chitinous matrix formed inside the midgut lumen after a blood meal feeding. Moreover, we show that the FREP1 can directly bind Plasmodia sexual stage gametocytes and ookinetes. Notably, ablating FREP1 expression or targeting FREP1 with antibodies significantly decreases P. falciparum infection in mosquito midguts. Our data support that the mosquito-expressed FREP1 mediates mosquito midgut invasion by multiple species of Plasmodium parasites via anchoring ookinetes to the peritrophic matrix and enabling parasites to penetrate the peritrophic matrix and the epithelium. Thus, targeting FREP1 can limit malaria transmission.
Anopheles - metabolism Anopheles - growth & development Anopheles - parasitology Digestive System - metabolism Anopheles - genetics Digestive System - parasitology Insect Proteins - genetics Male Fibrinogen - genetics Insect Vectors - metabolism Animals Insect Vectors - genetics Insect Vectors - growth & development Insect Vectors - parasitology Fibrinogen - metabolism Female Host-Parasite Interactions Plasmodium falciparum - physiology Insect Proteins - metabolism

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