Title
Plasmodium falciparum NIMA-related kinase Pfnek-1: sex specificity and assessment of essentiality for the erythrocytic asexual cycle
Abbreviated Journal Title
Microbiology-(UK)
Keywords
MALARIA PARASITE; PROTEIN-KINASE; FUNCTIONAL-ANALYSIS; OSMIOPHILIC; BODIES; LIFE-CYCLE; CELL-CYCLE; EXPRESSION; GENOME; TRANSMISSION; COMPLETION; Microbiology
Abstract
The Plasmodium falciparum kinome includes a family of four protein kinases (Pfnek-1 to -4) related to the NIMA (never-in-mitosis) family, members of which play important roles in mitosis and meiosis in eukaryotic cells. Only one of these, Pfnek-1, which we previously characterized at the biochemical level, is expressed in asexual parasites. The other three (Pfnek-2, -3 and -4) are expressed predominantly in gametocytes, and a role for nek-2 and nek-4 in meiosis has been documented. Here we show by reverse genetics that Pfnek-1 is required for completion of the asexual cycle in red blood cells and that its expression in gametocytes in detectable by immunofluorescence in male (but not in female) gametocytes, in contrast with Pfnek-2 and Pfnek-4. This indicates that the function of Pfnek-1 is non-redundant with those of the other members of the Pfnek family and identifies Pfnek-1 as a potential target for antimalarial chemotherapy. A medium-throughput screen of a small-molecule library provides proof of concept that recombinant Pfnek-1 can be used as a target in drug discovery.
Journal Title
Microbiology-Sgm
Volume
157
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Document Type
Article
Language
English
First Page
2785
Last Page
2794
WOS Identifier
ISSN
1350-0872
Recommended Citation
"Plasmodium falciparum NIMA-related kinase Pfnek-1: sex specificity and assessment of essentiality for the erythrocytic asexual cycle" (2011). Faculty Bibliography 2010s. 1257.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2010/1257
Comments
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