Hanssen Eric, Goldie Kenneth N, Tilley Leann
Electron Microscopy Unit, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
Methods Cell Biol. 2010;96:93-116. doi: 10.1016/S0091-679X(10)96005-6.
Plasmodium falciparum is the most deadly of the human malaria parasites. The particular virulence of this species derives from its ability to subvert the physiology of its host during the blood stages of its development. The parasite grows and divides within erythrocytes, feeding on the hemoglobin, and remodeling its host cells so they adhere to blood vessel walls. The advent of molecular transfection technology, coupled with optical microscopy of fluorescent protein reporters, has greatly improved our understanding of the ways in which the malaria parasite alters its host cell. However, a full interpretation of the information from these studies requires similar advances in our knowledge of the ultrastructure of the parasite. Here we give an overview of different electron microscopy techniques that have revealed the fine structure of the parasite at different stages of development. We present data on some of the unusual organelles of P. falciparum, in particular, the membrane structures that are elaborated in the erythrocyte cytoplasm and are thought to play an important role in trafficking of virulence proteins. We present and discuss some of the exciting whole cell imaging techniques that represent a new frontier in the studies of parasite ultrastructure.
恶性疟原虫是人类疟原虫中最致命的一种。该物种的特殊毒力源于其在发育的血液阶段颠覆宿主生理机能的能力。这种寄生虫在红细胞内生长和分裂，以血红蛋白为食，并重塑其宿主细胞，使其粘附于血管壁。分子转染技术的出现，再加上荧光蛋白报告基因的光学显微镜观察，极大地增进了我们对疟原虫改变其宿主细胞方式的理解。然而，要全面解读这些研究所得信息，需要我们在寄生虫超微结构知识方面取得类似进展。在此，我们概述了不同的电子显微镜技术，这些技术揭示了寄生虫在不同发育阶段的精细结构。我们展示了关于恶性疟原虫一些不寻常细胞器的数据，特别是在红细胞胞质中形成的膜结构，这些结构被认为在毒力蛋白的运输中起重要作用。我们展示并讨论了一些令人兴奋的全细胞成像技术，这些技术代表了寄生虫超微结构研究的新前沿。
