PF3D7_1012900 autophagy-related protein 18

PfATG18 participates in FV fission in P. falciparum. A. Immunofluorescence staining with anti-falcipain-2 antibodies was carried out to visualize single-lobed (top) and multilobed (bottom) FV morphology in P. falciparum 3D7. Arrows indicate fragmented FV. C. Immunofluorescence staining using anti-PfATG18 (1:400) and anti-falcipain-2 (1:200) antibodies using Zenon antibody labelling system detecting the localisation of PfATG18 on single-lobed (top) and multilobed (bottom) FV in P. falciparum. Enlarged panel: magnified view of the dotted region shown in the Merge panel. White arrows indicate fragmented FV. When the parasites were analysed for the presence of multilobed FV structures by labelling FV with its lumen marker FP2, ~15% parasites showed multilobed FV structures (A), indicating that the parasites too can acquire multilobed FV morphology. PfATG18 signals were enriched at the contact sites of the FP2-labelled multilobed FV (C), suggesting its involvement in the FV fission process. Multilobed vacuoles were observed after a few minutes (D). Interestingly, the fission of FV occurred at the site where PfATG18-GFP signals were intensified

Agrawal P, Manjithaya R, Surolia N. Autophagy-related protein PfATG18

participates in food vacuole dynamics and autophagy-like pathway in Plasmodium falciparum. Mol Microbiol. 2019 Dec 21

Other associated proteins

PFID Formal Annotation
PF3D7_1115700 cysteine proteinase falcipain 2a falcipain 2
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