The Plasmodium HU homolog, which binds the plastid DNA sequence-independent manner, is essential for the parasite’s survival

Sasaki, Narie; Hirai, Makoto; Maeda, Katsura; Yui, Ryoko; Itoh, Kie; Namiki, Syoko; Morita, Teppei; Hata, Masayuki; Murakami-Murofushi, Kimiko; Matsuoka, Hiroyuki; Kita, Kiyoshi; Sato, Shigeharu

doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2009.03.071

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Volume 583, Issue 9 , Pages 1446-1450, 6 May 2009

The Plasmodium HU homolog, which binds the plastid DNA sequence-independent manner, is essential for the parasite’s survival

Edited by Michael Ibba

Narie Sasaki
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo 112-0012, Japan
Makoto Hirai
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan
Katsura Maeda
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo 112-0012, Japan
Ryoko Yui
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
Kie Itoh
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa 277-8562, Japan
Syoko Namiki
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
Teppei Morita
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
Masayuki Hata
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Kimiko Murakami-Murofushi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo 112-0012, Japan
Hiroyuki Matsuoka
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan
Kiyoshi Kita
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Shigeharu Sato
- Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London NW7 1AA, UK
- Corresponding author. Fax: +44 20 8816 2730.

Received 27 February 2009; received in revised form 26 March 2009; accepted 31 March 2009. published online 07 April 2009.

Abstract

The nuclear genome of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum encodes a homolog of the bacterial HU protein (PfHU). In this study, we characterised PfHU’s physiological function. PfHU, which is targeted exclusively to the parasite’s plastid, bound its natural target – the plastid DNA – sequence-independently and complemented lack of HU in Escherichia coli. The HU gene could not be knocked-out from the genome of Plasmodium berghei, implying that HU is important for the parasite’s survival. As the human cell lacks the HU homolog, PfHU is a potential target for drugs to control malaria.

Abbreviations: BHL, bacterial histone-like DNA binding protein, ptDNA, plastid DNA

Keywords: DNA binding protein, HU, Knock-out, Plastid, Plasmodium berghei, Plasmodium falciparum