Plasmodium sporozoite shows distinct motility patterns in responses to three-dimensional environments
Zhenhui Liu,
Songman Li,
Pooja Anantha,
Tassanee Thanakornsombut,
Lintong Wu,
Junjie Chen,
Ryohma Tsuchiya,
Abhai K. Tripathi,
Yun Chen,
Ishan Barman
Affiliations
Zhenhui Liu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Songman Li
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Pooja Anantha
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Tassanee Thanakornsombut
Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Lintong Wu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Junjie Chen
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center for Cell Dynamics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Ryohma Tsuchiya
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center for Cell Dynamics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Abhai K. Tripathi
Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Corresponding author
Yun Chen
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center for Cell Dynamics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Corresponding author
Ishan Barman
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: During malaria infection, Plasmodium sporozoites, the fast-moving stage of the parasite, are injected by a mosquito into the skin of the mammalian host. In the skin, sporozoites need to migrate through the dermal tissue to enter the blood vessel. Sporozoite motility is critical for infection but not well understood. Here, we used collagen hydrogels with tunable fiber structures, as an in vitro model for the skin. After injecting sporozoites into the hydrogel, we analyzed their motility in three-dimension (3D). We found that sporozoites demonstrated chiral motility, in that they mostly follow right-handed helical trajectories. In high-concentration collagen gel, sporozoites have lower instantaneous speed, but exhibit straighter tracks compared to low-concentration collagen gel, which leads to longer net displacement and faster dissemination. Taken together, our study indicates an inner mechanism for sporozoites to adapt to the environment, which could help with their successful exit from the skin tissue.
