PF3D7_1019900 autophagy-related protein 8

PfATG8– positive puncta. Shown are puncta for (A) control HB3 iRBC grown under normal culture conditions (B) HB3 iRBC grown for 6 hours under starvation conditions. Shown are transmittance (left), immunofluorescence vs antiPfREX1 (Maurer’s cleft marker; red; second column), immunofluorescence vs antiTgATG8 (cross reacts with PfATG8; green, third column) and overlays (right). Bar = 5 mm. Parasites grown in complete media show a cytosolic PfATG8 distribution (A, green) that appears somewhat punctate, perhaps due to at least partial localization to the apicoplast. When highly synchronized trophozoites are placed in starvation medium for 6 hrs, PfATG8 is redistributed in a much more expanded punctate fashion (B, green). Closer inspection reveals puncta at the parasite periphery, possibly near the RBC membrane. Co–staining with a marker for Maurer’s cleft (anti - PfREX1, red) shows that some PfATG8 appears to be routed to very near Maurer’s cleft (MC) (yellow dots, B middle).

David Gaviria, Michelle F. Paguio, Lindsey B. Turnbull, Asako Tan, Amila Siriwardana, Debasish Ghosh, Michael T. Ferdig, Anthony P. Sinai, Paul D. Roepe. A Process Similar to Autophagy Is Associated with Cytocidal Chloroquine Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS ONE 8(11): e79059.

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