PfAtg18 localization upon treatment with the inhibitors of food vacuole-associated processes. Early trophozoite stage GFP/PfAtg18-expressing parasites were treated with DMSO (Con) or inihibitors (E64; pepstatin A, PepA; epoxomicin, Epox; pristimerin, Prist; orlistat, Orl) for 8 hours and assessed for PfAtg18 localization by live cell fluorescence microscopy. The panels for the indicated treatments represent GFP/PfAtg18 signal (Atg18), nucleic acid staining (Hoechst), bright field showing the boundaries of parasite and RBC (DIC), and the overlap of all three images (Merged). The %Representation column on the right indicates the %parasites showing that type of localization. The data is mean with SD (in the bracket) from three independent experiments. Compared to PfAtg18 localization in control parasites, treatment with E64 and pepstatin A produced a ring-like localization pattern and orlistat caused diffuse localization.

Sudhakar R, Das D, Thanumalayan S, Gorde S, Sijwali PS. Plasmodium falciparum Atg18 localizes to the food vacuole via interaction with the multi-drug resistance protein 1 and phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate. Biochem J. 2021 12:BCJ20210001.