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M F Wiser

Publications and source records attributed to M F Wiser.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Further characterization of a 58 kDa Plasmodium berghei phosphoprotein as a cochaperone.

Molecular chaperones are important for proper protein folding during protein biogenesis. This report describes a protein from Plasmodium berghei which is 30% identical and 40% similar to a recently described mammalian cochaperone, or heat shock protein 70 interacting protein. The P. berghei cochaperone accumulates throughout the trophozoite stage and decreases during the schizont stage. The stage specific expression is consistent with its presumed role in protein folding or protein-protein interactions. The largest difference between the Plasmodium and mammalian sequences is a more extensive domain of imperfect glycine-glycine-methionine-proline (GGMP) tandem repeats in the parasite's cochaperone sequence. Immunofluorescence studies show that the protein is an abundant cytosolic protein of the parasite. However, antibodies raised against the GGMP repeat domain, which is also found in other parasite chaperones, react with both the parasite and host erythrocyte membrane. The reactivity with the host membrane suggests that the parasite exports molecular chaperones into the infected erythrocyte.

Amino Acid Sequence

Sequence and mapping of galectin-5, a beta-galactoside-binding lectin, found in rat erythrocytes.

A monomeric rat beta-galactoside-binding lectin previously purified from extracts of rat lung has been localized to erythrocytes, and the cDNA encoding it has been isolated from a rat reticulocyte cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA predicts a protein with a M(r) of 16,199, with no evidence of a signal peptide. The deduced sequence is identical to the sequences of seven proteolytic peptides derived from the purified lectin. Peptide analysis by mass spectrometry indicates that the N-terminal methionine is cleaved and that serine 2 is acetylated. The lectin shares all the strictly conserved amino acid residues of other members of the mammalian galectin family and is designated galectin-5 (GenBank accession number L36862). Galectin-5 is a weak agglutinin of rat erythrocytes, despite its monomeric structure. The gene encoding galectin-5 (LGALS5) has been mapped in mouse to chromosome 11, approximately 50 centimorgans from the centromere and 1.8 +/- 1.8 centimorgans from the polymorphic marker D11Mit34n, a region syntenic with human chromosome 17q11.

Amino Acid Sequence

Effect of pyrimethamine resistance on sporogony in a Plasmodium berghei/Anopheles stephensi model.

A pyrimethamine-resistant line of Plasmodium berghei was derived by treating infected mice with high doses of pyrimethamine and selecting for recrudescence. This resistant line was compared with the parental pyrimethamine-sensitive line in order to ascertain whether drug resistance is associated with a biological advantage. Overall, the pyrimethamine-resistant line is quite similar to the sensitive line, except that it proceeds through sporogonic development more slowly than the pyrimethamine-sensitive parental line. However, under pyrimethamine pressure the sensitive line is unable to undergo the sporogonic cycle, whereas the resistant line is unaffected. These results indicate that the transmission of pyrimethamine resistance in this model is favored only under conditions of drug pressure.

Animals

Accessibility and distribution of intraerythrocytic antigens of Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes following mild glutaraldehyde fixation and detergent extraction.

Malarial antigens on the surface of infected erythrocytes have been described by many investigators. However, few of these antigens have been unambiguously demonstrated to be exposed on the surface of erythrocytes. This study demonstrates that mild glutaraldehyde fixation results in the cytoplasmic face of the host membrane becoming accessible to antibody under conditions that normally do not expose the cytoplasmic face of uninfected erythrocytes. These results indicate that caution should be used in interpreting data on the membrane disposition of malarial antigens. Detergent extraction of the glutaraldehyde-fixed erythrocytes results in an increased permeabilization such that malarial antigens on the parasite surface and within the cytoplasm of the infected erythrocyte are accessible to antibody. The accessibility of these antigens was demonstrated by both immunofluorescence and two-color flow cytometry. The antigens within the host cytoplasm were not diffuse but associated with patchy aggregates. Analysis of the antigens associated with the cytoplasmic aggregates by immunoelectron microscopy indicated that they were not associated with membrane-bound compartments. The fixation and permeabilization protocol described herein will have useful applications for the characterization and analysis of malarial antigens.

Animals

Rapid transport of the acidic phosphoproteins of Plasmodium berghei and P. chabaudi from the intraerythrocytic parasite to the host membrane using a miniaturized fractionation procedure.

A miniaturized procedure for the separation of the host erythrocyte membrane from malarial parasites based on saponin lysis and density-gradient centrifugation with Percoll is described. The procedure requires only 20-35 microliters packed infected erythrocytes, is simple to perform, needs no sophisticated equipment, and can be completed in less than 2 h. Analysis of the isolated erythrocyte membranes and parasites using marker enzymes and electron microscopy revealed that both the purity and the yield of these fractions were relatively high. Erythrocyte membrane proteins, including spectrin, ankyrin, and band 4.1, were not found on the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane, which remained associated with some but not all of the isolated parasites. Application of this method to pulse-chase experiments indicated that the acidic phosphoproteins of Plasmodium berghei and P. chabaudi were rapidly transported from the parasite to the erythrocyte membrane immediately after their synthesis. The rapid export of these acidic phosphoproteins from the parasite distinguishes them from other proteins exported by the malarial parasite.

Animals

Malarial proteins that interact with the erythrocyte membrane and cytoskeleton.

Several distinct classes of Plasmodium proteins have been proposed to interact with the submembrane skeleton of the erythrocyte based upon differential solubility and subcellular localization studies. That the parasite affects the erythrocyte membrane by interacting with the submembrane skeleton is an attractive hypothesis since the membrane skeleton likely regulates many aspects of membrane topography and function. The precise interactions between host and parasite proteins at the molecular level and how the parasite proteins are transported to the erythrocyte membrane are not completely understood. Experiments addressing these questions are under way, and such studies will provide valuable information about the host-parasite interface. In addition, the characterization of the interaction of Plasmodium proteins with the host erythrocyte membrane may also provide new insight into the structure and function of the erythrocyte membrane or membranes in general.

Animals

Association of Plasmodium berghei proteins with the host erythrocyte membrane: binding to inside-out vesicles.

Two acidic phosphoproteins of Plasmodium berghei origin, of 65 and 46 kDa, are associated with the plasma membrane of the host mouse erythrocyte. The 65-kDa protein partitions between a soluble and particulate phase upon host cell lysis, whereas the 46-kDa protein is localized exclusively in the particulate fraction. Both proteins bind to inside-out vesicles derived from erythrocyte ghosts and the conditions of the reassociation reaction indicate that the binding is specific and that the proteins interact only with the cytoplasmic face of the erythrocyte membrane. The 65-kDa protein appears to exist in two membrane-associated states; one loosely bound, which readily dissociates from the membrane, and a more tightly associated state, which does not dissociate under non-denaturing conditions. The 46-kDa protein is tightly bound to the host erythrocyte membrane and does not dissociate. Cross-linking studies suggest that both of these parasite proteins interact with the submembrane cytoskeleton of the erythrocyte, and that the 65-kDa protein also appears to interact simultaneously with the lipid bilayer and erythrocyte membrane proteins. However, direct interaction between the malarial proteins and distinct erythrocyte membrane proteins could not be demonstrated. In summary, these findings indicate that the acidic phosphoproteins of the malarial parasite interact with the cytoplasmic face of the erythrocyte membrane both in vivo and in vitro.

Actins

Plasmodium antigens external to the parasite but with the infected erythrocyte.

Three Plasmodium berghei exoantigens with apparent mol. wt. of 120, 31, and 13 kDa, found in infected erythrocytes by immunofluorescence, are further characterized. These antigens, synthesized in the late trophozoite and schizont stages, were released into the culture medium after schizont-infected erythrocytes were placed in culture; however, they were not found in the sera of infected animals. The 120-kDa antigen proved to be somewhat heat-stable, whereas the other two did not. A monoclonal antibody (MAb) recognizing the 13-kDa antigen cross-reacted with proteins from P. chabaudi and P. yoelii, whereas MAbs against the other two antigens reacted only with proteins from strains of P. berghei.

Animals

Contrasts in antigen expression in the erythrocytic and exoerythrocytic stages of rodent malaria.

The time and site of expression of five antigens, recognized by monoclonal antibodies raised against blood-stage parasites, were studied in the exoerythrocytic stage of Plasmodium berghei using indirect immunofluorescent antibody staining. Two monoclonal antibodies (W 3.5, I 2.6), which stain the cytoplasm of infected erythrocytes, did not stain the cytoplasm of the infected liver cell but stained the parasite itself suggesting a difference in the antigenic architecture of the erythrocytic and exoerythrocytic parasites. Another antibody (17.6.1) revealed a further difference in the antigenic composition of the blood and liver-stage parasites being expressed almost exclusively in the former. Two others (C139 and 17.3.9) showed broadly similar patterns of expression in these two stages of the malarial life-cycle.

Animals

Expression of the precursor of the major merozoite surface antigens during the hepatic stage of malaria.

The precursor of major merozoite surface antigens (PMMSA) and its proteolytic products are candidates for an asexual blood stage vaccine. Previous authors have shown that PMMSA epitopes are expressed in the liver or exoerythrocytic (EE) stage of malaria. Using Plasmodium berghei, we show that the molecular weight of the liver stage PMMSA is similar to that of the blood stage and that both EE and blood stage proteins are similarly processed. In the EE stage, it was synthesized toward the end of schizogony and appeared first to localize to the rough endoplasmic reticulum and then, as the cytomeres began to form, to the parasite plasmalemma. The EE and blood stage merozoites expressed similar amounts of this antigen as determined by indirect immunofluorescence.

Animals

Acidic phosphoproteins associated with the host erythrocyte membrane of erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium berghei and P. chabaudi.

New phosphoproteins appear on the host erythrocyte membrane during Plasmodium berghei and P. chabaudi infection. Distinct proteins having similar properties and all distinguished by isoelectric points of less than 4.0 are identified. Associated with the erythrocyte membranes of P. berghei infected erythrocytes are two proteins with molecular masses of 65 and 46 kDa, whereas 93, 90 and 76 kDa proteins are observed during P. chabaudi infection. These new erythrocyte membrane associated proteins are all of parasite origin as indicated by metabolic labeling with proline and are synthesized during the ring stage of the asexual replicative cycle. Three of these proteins, the 93 kDa P. chabaudi protein and both P. berghei proteins, have been purified and the amino acid composition determined. All three are characterized by a relatively high proportion of aspartate and glutamate residues. Mono-and polyclonal antibodies were also raised against the same three purified proteins. No cross reactivity between these three proteins is observed, but one monoclonal antibody against the 65 kDa P. berghei crossreacts with a 27 kDa mouse erythrocyte protein. Immunofluorescence using the antibodies in combination with subcellular fractionation studies clearly shows that these phosphoproteins are associated with the host erythrocyte membrane and not the parasite.

Animals

Phosphorylation of Plasmodium berghei derived phosphoproteins associated with the host erythrocyte membrane by the spectrin kinase.

Plasmodium berghei derived phosphoproteins are associated with the host erythrocyte membrane. Effectors of the phosphorylation reaction regulate the phosphorylation of the P. berghei derived proteins and spectrin in a similar manner. The spectrin kinase also phosphorylates the P. berghei phosphoproteins in a reconstituted reaction at the same site(s) as the endogenously phosphorylated proteins. These results indicate that a host protein kinase may regulate parasite phosphoproteins during malaria.

Animals

Expression of the parasite protein Pc90 in plasma membranes of erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium chabaudi.

Erythrocytes infected with the malaria parasite Plasmodium chabaudi contain the neo-protein Pc90 in their plasma membrane. We investigate origin, membrane disposition, and intraerythrocytic traffic of this Pc90. Metabolic labeling of P.-infected erythrocytes, combined with cell fractionation as well as Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation using a Pc90-recognizing monoclonal antibody, show that Pc90 is synthesized by early to mid trophozoites and is transported without any apparent processing steps to the erythrocyte membrane. Based upon the inaccessibility of Pc90 from the outside in intact erythrocytes and the water solubility of membrane-associated Pc90, it is concluded that Pc90 is localized on the cytoplasmic face of the host erythrocyte membrane. Immunoelectron microscopy using a Pc90-specific monoclonal antibody and the occurrence of soluble Pc90 in host cell cytosol indicate that the Pc90 is transported in both a 'vesicle-bound' and a 'free' form through the erythrocyte cytoplasm.

Animals

Plasmodium berghei, P. chabaudi, and P. falciparum: similarities in phosphoproteins and protein kinase activities and their stage specific expression.

Phosphoproteins from Plasmodium berghei, P. chabaudi, and P. falciparum are compared. A major phosphoprotein of 46 kDa is found in all three species. Peptide mapping indicates that this protein is indeed the same in all three cases and is phosphorylated at similar sites in all three species. Monoclonal antibodies were raised against three other P. berghei phosphoproteins. All three monoclonal antibodies recognize both P. berghei and P. chabaudi proteins. Only one of the monoclonal antibodies crossreacts with a P. falciparum protein of 36 kDa, whereas the equivalent P. berghei and P. chabaudi proteins are 34 and 32 kDa, respectively. The highest rate of synthesis of the phosphoproteins is observed during the early trophozoite stage, whereas the highest rate of phosphorylation is observed during the late trophozoite stage.

Animals

Increased sensitivity in antigen detection during immunoblot analysis resulting from antigen enrichment via immunoprecipitation.

The sensitivity in antigen detection during immunoblot analysis is greatly increased if the antigen is first immunoprecipitated from the crude extract before electrophoresis and transfer to nitrocellulose. Not only does the method allow detection of antigens which are minor components of crude mixtures or antigens which cannot be radiolabeled, but the method also resolves problems, such as high background, which are often associated with immunoprecipitation. Also, by modifying the method, whether or not monoclonal antibodies recognize the same or different antigens and/or epitopes can be easily determined.

Animals

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies directed against erythrocytic stage antigens of Plasmodium berghei.

Monoclonal antibodies recognizing various facets of the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei and of the infected erythrocyte were obtained after generation of hybridomas between spleen cells from immunized mice and myeloma cells. The monoclonal antibodies were characterized by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, indirect immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled proteins and immunoblotting. The most readily identified antigen was a parasite surface-associated protein of 230 kDa which is similar to the polymorphic schizont antigen described in a number of malarial species. In addition, three distinct antigens of 13, 31 and 120 kDa, which are external to the parasite, but within the infected erythrocyte were identified.

Animals

Cytosolic protein kinase activity associated with the maturation of the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei.

Seven cytosolic phosphoproteins with relative molecular masses of 110, 58, 52, 46, 38, 36 and 34kDa and isoelectric points between 4.2 and 5.0 are identified from the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. Similar patterns of phosphorylated proteins are obtained from parasite cytosol after incubation of intact infected erythrocytes with [32P]orthophosphate, or from parasite cytosol incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP. The characteristics of the phosphorylation reaction are similar to the previously described Plasmodium protein kinase [Wiser, M.F., Eaton, J.W. and Sheppard, J.R. (1983) J. Cell. Biochem. 21, 305-314], suggesting that the same protein kinase is involved. More protein phosphorylation activity is associated with the mature parasites than the immature forms, suggesting that these phosphoproteins may play some role in the parasite's erythrocytic stage cycle.

Animals