Plasma Membrane-Located Purine Nucleotide Transport Proteins Are Key Components for Host Exploitation by Microsporidian Intracellular Parasites

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004547
• Publication Date: 2014-12-04T20:23:58Z
• Authors: Eva Heinz; Christian Hacker; Paul Dean; John Mifsud; Alina V. Goldberg; Tom A. Williams; Sirintra Nakjang; Alison Gregory; Robert P. Hirt; John M. Lucocq; Edmund R. S. Kunji; T. Martin Embley
• Keywords: Intracellular parasite

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites of most animal groups including humans, but despite their significant economic and medical importance there major gaps in our understanding how they exploit infected host cells. We have investigated the evolution, cellular locations substrate specificities a family nucleotide transport (NTT) proteins from Trachipleistophora hominis, microsporidian isolated an HIV/AIDS patient. Transport critical to success because compensate for dramatic loss metabolic pathways that is hallmark group. Our data demonstrate use plasma membrane-located key strategy adopted by microsporidians Acquisition ancestral transporter gene at base radiation was followed lineage-specific events duplication, which case T. hominis has generated four paralogous NTT transporters. All located predominantly membrane replicating cells where can mediate host-parasite interface. In contrast published Encephalitozoon cuniculi, we found no evidence location any transporters its minimal mitochondria (mitosomes), consistent with differences mitosome evolution. NTTs transported radiolabelled purine nucleotides (ATP, ADP, GTP GDP) when expressed Escherichia coli, did not pyrimidine nucleotides. Genome analysis suggests imported could be used make all purine-based building-blocks DNA RNA biosynthesis during parasite replication, as well providing essential energy metabolism protein synthesis.