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The gametocyte‐activating factor xanthurenic acid stimulates an increase in membrane‐associated guanylyl cyclase activity in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
Author(s) -
Muhia David K.,
Swales Claire A.,
Deng Wensheng,
Kelly John M.,
Baker David A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2001.02665.x
Subject(s) - xanthurenic acid , biology , gametocyte , plasmodium falciparum , plasmodium berghei , biochemistry , phosphodiesterase , microbiology and biotechnology , malaria , tryptophan , enzyme , amino acid , immunology
Sex is an obligate step in the life cycle of the malaria parasite and occurs in the midgut of the mosquito vector. With both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei , the tryptophan metabolite xanthurenic acid induces the release of motile male gametes from red blood cells (exflagellation), a prerequisite for fertilization. The addition of cGMP or phosphodiesterase inhibitors to cultures of mature gametocytes has also been shown to stimulate exflagellation. Here, we demonstrate that there is a guanylyl cyclase activity associated with mature P. falciparum gametocyte membrane preparations, which is dependent on the presence of Mg 2+ /Mn 2+ but is inhibited by Ca 2+ . Significantly, this activity is increased on addition of xanthurenic acid. In contrast, a xanthurenic acid precursor (3‐hydroxykynurenine), which is not an inducer of exflagellation, does not induce this guanylyl cyclase activity. These results therefore suggest that xanthurenic acid‐induced exflagellation may be mediated by activation of the parasite cGMP signalling pathway.