iScience (May 2022)

Plasmodium parasitophorous vacuole membrane-resident protein UIS4 manipulates host cell actin to avoid parasite elimination

  • Viriato M’Bana,
  • Aparajita Lahree,
  • Sofia Marques,
  • Ksenija Slavic,
  • Maria M. Mota

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 25, no. 5
p. 104281

Abstract

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Summary: Parasite-derived PVM-resident proteins are critical for complete parasite development inside hepatocytes, although the function of most of these proteins remains unknown. Here, we show that the upregulated in infectious sporozoites 4 (UIS4) protein, resident at the PVM, interacts with the host cell actin. By suppressing filamentous actin formation, UIS4 avoids parasite elimination. Host cell actin dynamics increases around UIS4-deficient parasites, which is associated with subsequent parasite elimination. Notably, parasite elimination is impaired significantly by the inhibition of host myosin-II, possibly through relieving the compression generated by actomyosin complexes at the host-parasite interface. Together, these data reveal that UIS4 has a critical role in the evasion of host defensive mechanisms, enabling hence EEF survival and development.

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