Key result
The cryo-EM structure of the Plasmodium falciparum actomyosin system reveals a conserved core interface common to all actomyosin complexes and an ancillary interface involved in specificity.
Why the study?
Actomyosin interactions are central to the gliding motility of Plasmodium falciparum, but the details of these interactions remained elusive.
May inform selective antimalarial design; leaves open whether ancillary interface targeting yields safe, effective therapies.
Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria, moves by an atypical process called gliding motility. Actomyosin interactions are central to gliding motility. However, the details of these interactions remained elusive until now. Here, we report an atomic structure of the divergent Plasmodium falciparum actomyosin system determined by electron cryomicroscopy at the end of the powerstroke (Rigor state). The structure provides insights into the detailed interactions that are required for the parasite to produce the force and motion required for infectivity. Remarkably, the footprint of the myosin motor on filamentous actin is conserved with respect to higher eukaryotes, despite important variability in the Plasmodium falciparum myosin and actin elements that make up the interface. Comparison with other actomyosin complexes reveals a conserved core interface common to all actomyosin complexes, with an ancillary interface involved in defining the spatial positioning of the motor on actin filaments.
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Robert‐Paganin et al. (2021) studied Malaria (Plasmodium falciparum). Cryo-EM structural analysis was evaluated on Atomic structure determination. The cryo-EM structure of the Plasmodium falciparum actomyosin system reveals a conserved core interface common to all actomyosin complexes and an ancillary interface involved in specificity.
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