Hirai Makoto, Arai Meiji, Mori Toshiyuki, Miyagishima Shin-Ya, Kawai Satoru, Kita Kiyoshi, Kuroiwa Tsuneyoshi, Terenius Olle, Matsuoka Hiroyuki
Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, Shimotsuke City, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan.
Curr Biol. 2008 Apr 22;18(8):607-13. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2008.03.045. Epub 2008 Apr 10.
Malaria, which is caused by Plasmodium parasites, is transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes. When gametocytes, the precursor cells of Plasmodium gametes, are transferred to a mosquito, they fertilize and proliferate, which render the mosquito infectious to the next vertebrate host. Although the fertilization of malaria parasites has been considered as a rational target for transmission-blocking vaccines, the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we show that the rodent malaria parasite gene Plasmodium berghei GENERATIVE CELL SPECIFIC 1 (PbGCS1) plays a central role in its gametic interaction. PbGCS1 knockout parasites show male sterility, resulting in unsuccessful fertilization. Because such a male-specific function of GCS1 has been observed in angiosperms, this indicates, for the first time, that parasite sexual reproduction is controlled by a machinery common to flowering plants. Our present findings provide a new viewpoint for understanding the parasitic fertilization system and important clues for novel strategies to attack life-threatening parasites.
疟疾由疟原虫寄生虫引起，通过按蚊传播。当疟原虫配子的前体细胞即配子体被转移到蚊子体内时，它们会受精并增殖，从而使蚊子能够感染下一个脊椎动物宿主。尽管疟原虫的受精被认为是传播阻断疫苗的合理靶点，但其潜在机制却知之甚少。在此，我们表明啮齿动物疟原虫基因伯氏疟原虫生殖细胞特异性1（PbGCS1）在其配子相互作用中起核心作用。PbGCS1基因敲除的寄生虫表现出雄性不育，导致受精失败。由于在被子植物中已观察到GCS1的这种雄性特异性功能，这首次表明寄生虫的有性生殖受开花植物共有的机制控制。我们目前的研究结果为理解寄生虫受精系统提供了新的视角，并为攻击危及生命的寄生虫的新策略提供了重要线索。
