Structural organization of erythrocyte membrane microdomains and their relation with malaria susceptibility

• DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02900-w
• Publication Date: 2021-12-08T11:03:41Z
• Authors: Anna Olivieri; Rebecca S. Lee; Federica Fratini; Cyrianne Keutcha; Mudit Chaand; Valentina Mangano; Francesco Celani; Stefania Mochi; Cecilia Birago; Silvio Paone; Felicia Grasso; Valentina Tirelli; Mario Falchi; Estela Shabani; Stefania Bertoncini; Bienvenu Sodiomon...; Elisabetta Pizzi; David Modiano; Manoj T. Duraisingh; Marta Ponzi
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Erythrocytes; QH301-705.5; Erythrocyte Membrane; Plasmodium falciparum; Article; Malaria; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Membrane Microdomains; erythrocyte membrane; erythrocytes; humans; malaria; malaria, falciparum; membrane microdomains; plasmodium falciparum; Humans; Biology (General); Malaria, Falciparum; Erythrocyte Membrane; Erythrocytes; Humans; Malaria; Malaria, Falciparum; Membrane Microdomains; Plasmodium falciparum

AbstractCholesterol-rich microdomains are membrane compartments characterized by specific lipid and protein composition. These dynamic assemblies are involved in several biological processes, including infection by intracellular pathogens. This work provides a comprehensive analysis of the composition of human erythrocyte membrane microdomains. Based on their floating properties, we also categorized the microdomain-associated proteins into clusters. Interestingly, erythrocyte microdomains include the vast majority of the proteins known to be involved in invasion by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. We show here that the Ecto-ADP-ribosyltransferase 4 (ART4) and Aquaporin 1 (AQP1), found within one specific cluster, containing the essential host determinant CD55, are recruited to the site of parasite entry and then internalized to the newly formed parasitophorous vacuole membrane. By generating null erythroid cell lines, we showed that one of these proteins, ART4, plays a role in P. falciparum invasion. We also found that genetic variants in both ART4 and AQP1 are associated with susceptibility to the disease in a malaria-endemic population.