ArticlePLoS pathogens2008
A sporozoite asparagine-rich protein controls initiation of Plasmodium liver stage development.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 81 papers.
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Who cites it
81 citing papers in PubMed, 126 citations in OpenAlex.
- Two Plasmodium vivax hypnozoite-expressed RNA-binding proteins inhibit liver stage replication.Nature communications · 2026Article
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- Replication stress increases de novo CNVs across the malaria parasite genome.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
- TwoResearch square · 2025Article
- Replication stress increases de novo CNVs across the malaria parasite genome.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Malaria: past, present, and future.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2025Review
- Constitutive expression of Cas9 and rapamycin-inducible Cre recombinase facilitates conditional genome editing in Plasmodium berghei.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A conserved Plasmodium nuclear protein is critical for late liver stage development.Communications biology · 2024Article
- Same, same but different: Exploring Plasmodium cell division during liver stage development.PLoS pathogens · 2023Review
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- A member of the tryptophan-rich protein family is required for efficient sequestration of Plasmodium berghei schizonts.PLoS pathogens · 2022Article
- Novel insights from the Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite-specific proteome by probabilistic integration of 26 studies.PLoS computational biology · 2021Article
- Absence of PEXEL-Dependent Protein Export inFrontiers in genetics · 2021Article
- Eosinophils Suppress the Migration of T Cells Into the Brain ofFrontiers in immunology · 2021Article
- Pleiotropic Roles for theFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Article
- A Plasmodium cysteine protease required for efficient transition from the liver infection stage.PLoS pathogens · 2020Article
- Preparing for Transmission: Gene Regulation inFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2020Review
- The dimerisable Cre recombinase allows conditional genome editing in the mosquito stages of Plasmodium berghei.PloS one · 2020Article
- Protein-RNA interactions important for Plasmodium transmission.PLoS pathogens · 2019Review
21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Plasmodium sporozoites invade host hepatocytes and develop as liver stages (LS) before the onset of erythrocytic infection and malaria symptoms. LS are clinically silent, and constitute ideal targets for causal prophylactic drugs and vaccines. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying LS development remain poorly characterized. Here we describe a conserved Plasmodium asparagine-rich protein that is specifically expressed in sporozoites and liver stages. Gene disruption in Plasmodium berghei results in complete loss of sporozoite infectivity to rodents, due to early developmental arrest after invasion of hepatocytes. Mutant sporozoites productively invade host cells by forming a parasitophorous vacuole (PV), but subsequent remodelling of the membrane of the PV (PVM) is impaired as a consequence of dramatic down-regulation of genes encoding PVM-resident proteins. These early arrested mutants confer only limited protective immunity in immunized animals. Our results demonstrate the role of an asparagine-rich protein as a key regulator of Plasmodium sporozoite gene expression and LS development, and suggest a requirement of partial LS maturation to induce optimal protective immune responses against malaria pre-erythrocytic stages. These findings have important implications for the development of genetically attenuated parasites as a vaccine approach.
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Registered trials
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