Last Updated: 28/11/2025
Functional analysis of malarial microneme proteins essential to ookinete invasion
Objectives
This project has two main objectives:
- Key Goal 1: Proteins critical to host invasion will be mapped to established developmental checkpoints i.e. motility, host adherence, penetration/traversal of host cells.
- Key Goal 2: The three micronemal proteins known to be essential to ookinete development (CTRP, PB1102 and POSH) will be examined using gene mutation methodologies to determine the structure/function relationships of the prote ins, again using established methodologies. This work has the potential to inform future drug and vaccine development.
Principal Institution
Principal Investigators / Focal Persons
Rationale and Abstract
The malarial parasite must repeatedly invade host tissues to complete its life cycle. Proteins secreted from the micronemes are essential for invasion. Microneme proteins are considered prime targets for both drug and vaccine attack. We have recently completed a proteomic analysis of the Plasmodium berghei ookinete micronemes. Here we exploit the data generated to analyse the functions of 3 partially defined, and 19 novel hypothetical-class secreted proteins. Gene deletion and fluorescent tagged mutant parasites will be generated and characterised using our widely published methodologies.
Date
Jan 2009 — Sep 2013
Total Project Funding
$418,624
Funding Details
Country / Project Site(s)
Related Resources
