Structural highlights
Function[MYOA_PLAF7] Myosins are actin-based motor molecules with ATPase activity. Unconventional myosins serve in intracellular movements. Their highly divergent tails are presumed to bind to membranous compartments, which would be moved relative to actin filaments (By similarity). Publication Abstract from PubMedPlasmodium parasites are obligate intracellular protozoa and causative agents of malaria, responsible for half a million deaths each year. The lifecycle progression of the parasite is reliant on cell motility, a process driven by myosin A, an unconventional single-headed class XIV molecular motor. Here we demonstrate that myosin A from Plasmodium falciparum (PfMyoA) is critical for red blood cell invasion. Further, using a combination of X-ray crystallography, kinetics, and in vitro motility assays, we elucidate the non-canonical interactions that drive this motor's function. We show that PfMyoA motor properties are tuned by heavy chain phosphorylation (Ser19), with unphosphorylated PfMyoA exhibiting enhanced ensemble force generation at the expense of speed. Regulated phosphorylation may therefore optimize PfMyoA for enhanced force generation during parasite invasion or for fast motility during dissemination. The three PfMyoA crystallographic structures presented here provide a blueprint for discovery of specific inhibitors designed to prevent parasite infection. Plasmodium myosin A drives parasite invasion by an atypical force generating mechanism.,Robert-Paganin J, Robblee JP, Auguin D, Blake TCA, Bookwalter CS, Krementsova EB, Moussaoui D, Previs MJ, Jousset G, Baum J, Trybus KM, Houdusse A Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 23;10(1):3286. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11120-0. PMID:31337750[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
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This page was last modified 05:49, 7 August 2019.