PfMF3 localizes to the parasite mitochondrion. Blood-stage parasites expressing a GFP-tagged version of PfMFR3 were costained with MitoTracker Red (200 nM) and DAPI and then imaged using confocal microscopy. The blue signal pertains to the DAPI-stained parasite nuclei; the red signal represents the parasite mitochondrion, and the green signal, GFP-tagged PfMFR3. Microscopy-based imaging revealed perinuclear distribution of the GFP signal corresponding to the tagged MFR3 transporter. Strikingly, this GFP signal also appeared to colocalize with the MitoTracker Red signal across different stages of parasite blood-stage development, indicating that this orphan transporter localizes to the parasite mitochondrion.

Rocamora F, Gupta P, Istvan ES, Luth MR, Carpenter EF, Kümpornsin K, Sasaki E, Calla J, Mittal N, Carolino K, Owen E, Llinás M, Ottilie S, Goldberg DE, Lee MCS, Winzeler EA. PfMFR3: A Multidrug-Resistant Modulator in Plasmodium falciparum. ACS Infect Dis. 2021