The role of an expanded family of exported effector kinases in environmental sensing and regulation of virulence in human malaria.

The most severe form of malaria in humans is caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Cytoadhesion of infected red blood cells (iRBCs) to host endothelium and iRBC rigidification are the major contributors to pathology. Cytoadhesion is mediated by transport of a protein called PfEMP1 onto the surface of the iRBC. It prevents clearance of iRBCs in the spleen and promotes parasite survival, but can cause the obstruction of blood vessels leading to pathology. Thus, the parasite has to strike a fine balance between preventing its own clearance through sufficiently strong cytoadhesion and control of rigidity, and killing the host. The paradigm in the field is that the strength of cytoadhesion is dominated by expression of PfEMP1 variants with different affinities for host cell receptors. There is now a strong evidence that the parasite can rapidly regulate its cytoadhesive properties using a family of atypical kinases (the FIKK kinases) it exports into the host cell. This gives the parasite a yet unrecognized ability to respond to conditions encountered in the host, such as fever or hypoxia in areas of high parasite sequestration, and influence disease outcome. This is important: Of the 6 human infecting Plasmodium species only P. falciparum exports FIKK kinases into the host cell. As this species is responsible for ~95% of all fatal human malaria cases, it is paramount to understand FIKK- function in pathogenesis. In summary the aim is to answer the paramount question about the functional role and the evolution of the FIKK kinases and the pathogenesis of P. falciparum malaria.

Project details

Enabling Technologies & Assays

Sep 2023 — Aug 2028

$2.22M

Portugal