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Plasmodium NEK1 coordinates MTOC organisation and kinetochore attachment during rapid mitosis in male gamete formation (2024)
Journal Article
Zeeshan, M., Rashpa, R., Ferguson, D. J., Mckeown, G., Nugmanova, R., Subudhi, A. K., Beyeler, R., Pashley, S. L., Markus, R., Brady, D., Roques, M., Bottrill, A. R., Fry, A. M., Pain, A., Vaughan, S., Holder, A. A., Tromer, E. C., Brochet, M., & Tewari, R. (2024). Plasmodium NEK1 coordinates MTOC organisation and kinetochore attachment during rapid mitosis in male gamete formation. PLoS Biology, 22(9), Article e3002802. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002802

Mitosis is an important process in the cell cycle required for cells to divide. Never in mitosis (NIMA)-like kinases (NEKs) are regulators of mitotic functions in diverse organisms. Plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria is a divergent unice... Read More about Plasmodium NEK1 coordinates MTOC organisation and kinetochore attachment during rapid mitosis in male gamete formation.

Plasmodium SAS4: basal body component of male cell which is dispensable for parasite transmission (2022)
Journal Article
Zeeshan, M., Brady, D., Markus, R., Vaughan, S., Ferguson, D., Holder, A. A., & Tewari, R. (2022). Plasmodium SAS4: basal body component of male cell which is dispensable for parasite transmission. Life Science Alliance, 5(9), Article e202101329. https://doi.org/10.26508/lsa.202101329

The centriole/basal body (CBB) is an evolutionarily conserved organelle acting as a microtubule organising centre (MTOC) to nucleate cilia, flagella, and the centrosome. SAS4/CPAP is a conserved component associated with BB biogenesis in many model f... Read More about Plasmodium SAS4: basal body component of male cell which is dispensable for parasite transmission.

MRE11 Is Crucial for Malaria Parasite Transmission and Its Absence Affects Expression of Interconnected Networks of Key Genes Essential for Life (2020)
Journal Article
Guttery, D. S., Ramaprasad, A., Ferguson, D. J. P., Zeeshan, M., Pandey, R., Brady, D., …Tewari, R. (2020). MRE11 Is Crucial for Malaria Parasite Transmission and Its Absence Affects Expression of Interconnected Networks of Key Genes Essential for Life. Cells, 9(12), Article 2590. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9122590

The meiotic recombination 11 protein (MRE11) plays a key role in DNA damage response and maintenance of genome stability. However, little is known about its function during development of the malaria parasite Plasmodium. Here, we present a functional... Read More about MRE11 Is Crucial for Malaria Parasite Transmission and Its Absence Affects Expression of Interconnected Networks of Key Genes Essential for Life.

Plasmodium berghei Kinesin-5 Associates With the Spindle Apparatus During Cell Division and Is Important for Efficient Production of Infectious Sporozoites (2020)
Journal Article
Zeeshan, M., Brady, D., Stanway, R. R., Moores, C., Holder, A. A., & Tewari, R. (2020). Plasmodium berghei Kinesin-5 Associates With the Spindle Apparatus During Cell Division and Is Important for Efficient Production of Infectious Sporozoites. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 10, Article 583812. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2020.583812

© Copyright © 2020 Zeeshan, Brady, Stanway, Moores, Holder and Tewari. Kinesin-5 motors play essential roles in spindle apparatus assembly during cell division, by generating forces to establish and maintain the spindle bipolarity essential for prope... Read More about Plasmodium berghei Kinesin-5 Associates With the Spindle Apparatus During Cell Division and Is Important for Efficient Production of Infectious Sporozoites.

A divergent cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase complex controls the atypical replication of a malaria parasite during gametogony and transmission (2020)
Journal Article
Balestra, A. C., Zeeshan, M., Rea, E., Pasquarello, C., Brusini, L., Mourier, T., …Brochet, M. (2020). A divergent cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase complex controls the atypical replication of a malaria parasite during gametogony and transmission. eLife, 9, Article e56474. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.56474

© 2020, Balestra et al. Cell cycle transitions are generally triggered by variation in the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) bound to cyclins. Malaria-causing parasites have a life cycle with unique cell-division cycles, and a repertoire of... Read More about A divergent cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase complex controls the atypical replication of a malaria parasite during gametogony and transmission.

Real-time dynamics of Plasmodium NDC80 reveals unusual modes of chromosome segregation during parasite proliferation (2020)
Journal Article
Zeeshan, M., Pandey, R., Ferguson, D. J. P., Tromer, E. C., Markus, R., Abel, S., …Tewari, R. (2020). Real-time dynamics of Plasmodium NDC80 reveals unusual modes of chromosome segregation during parasite proliferation. Journal of Cell Science, 134(5), Article jcs.245753. https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.245753

Eukaryotic cell proliferation requires chromosome replication and precise segregation to ensure daughter cells have identical genomic copies. The genus Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, displays remarkable aspects of nuclear division throug... Read More about Real-time dynamics of Plasmodium NDC80 reveals unusual modes of chromosome segregation during parasite proliferation.

Plasmodium Condensin Core Subunits SMC2/SMC4 Mediate Atypical Mitosis and Are Essential for Parasite Proliferation and Transmission (2020)
Journal Article
Le Roch, K. G., Holder, A. A., Bottrill, A. R., Stanway, R. R., Wall, R. J., Tewari, R., …Brady, D. (2020). Plasmodium Condensin Core Subunits SMC2/SMC4 Mediate Atypical Mitosis and Are Essential for Parasite Proliferation and Transmission. Cell Reports, 30(6), 1883-1897.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2020.01.033

Condensin is a multi-subunit protein complex regulating chromosome condensation and segregation during cell division. In Plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria, cell division is atypical and the role of condensin is unclear. Here we examine... Read More about Plasmodium Condensin Core Subunits SMC2/SMC4 Mediate Atypical Mitosis and Are Essential for Parasite Proliferation and Transmission.

Plasmodium kinesin-8X associates with mitotic spindles and is essential for oocyst development during parasite proliferation and transmission (2019)
Journal Article
Zeeshan, M., Shilliday, F., Liu, T., Abel, S., Mourier, T., Ferguson, D. J. P., Rea, E., Stanway, R. R., Roques, M., Williams, D., Daniel, E., Brady, D., Roberts, A. J., Holder, A. A., Pain, A., Le, K. G., Le Roch, R. G., Moores, C. A., & Tewari, R. (2019). Plasmodium kinesin-8X associates with mitotic spindles and is essential for oocyst development during parasite proliferation and transmission. PLoS Pathogens, 15(10), Article e1008048. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008048

Kinesin-8 proteins are microtubule motors that are often involved in regulation of mitotic spindle length and chromosome alignment. They move towards the plus ends of spindle microtubules and regulate the dynamics of these ends due, at least in some... Read More about Plasmodium kinesin-8X associates with mitotic spindles and is essential for oocyst development during parasite proliferation and transmission.

Kinesin-8B controls basal body function and flagellum formation and is key to malaria transmission (2019)
Journal Article
Zeeshan, M., Ferguson, D. J., Abel, S., Burrrell, A., Rea, E., Brady, D., …Tewari, R. (2019). Kinesin-8B controls basal body function and flagellum formation and is key to malaria transmission. Life Science Alliance, 2(4), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.26508/lsa.201900488

Eukaryotic flagella are conserved microtubule-based organelles that drive cell motility. Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, has a single flagellate stage: the male gamete in the mosquito. Three rounds of endomitotic division in male gametocy... Read More about Kinesin-8B controls basal body function and flagellum formation and is key to malaria transmission.

Systematic analysis of Plasmodium myosins reveals differential expression, localisation, and function in invasive and proliferative parasite stages (2019)
Journal Article
Wall, R. J., Zeeshan, M., Katris, N. J., Limenitakis, R., Rea, E., Stock, J., …Tewari, R. (2019). Systematic analysis of Plasmodium myosins reveals differential expression, localisation, and function in invasive and proliferative parasite stages. Cellular Microbiology, 21(10), Article e13082. https://doi.org/10.1111/cmi.13082

The myosin superfamily comprises of actin‐dependent eukaryotic molecular motors important in a variety of cellular functions. Although well studied in many systems, knowledge of their functions in Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, is restri... Read More about Systematic analysis of Plasmodium myosins reveals differential expression, localisation, and function in invasive and proliferative parasite stages.

Plasmodium centrin PbCEN-4 localizes to the putative MTOC and is dispensable for malaria parasite proliferation (2018)
Journal Article
Roques, M., Stanway, R. R., Rea, E. I., Markus, R., Brady, D., Holder, A. A., …Tewari, R. (2018). Plasmodium centrin PbCEN-4 localizes to the putative MTOC and is dispensable for malaria parasite proliferation. Biology Open, 8(1), Article bio.036822. https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.036822

Centrins are calmodulin-like phosphoproteins present in the centrosome and play an active role in the duplication, separation and organization of centrosomal structures such as the microtubule-organizing centre (MTOC) during mitosis. They are also ma... Read More about Plasmodium centrin PbCEN-4 localizes to the putative MTOC and is dispensable for malaria parasite proliferation.

Plasmodium APC3 mediates chromosome condensation and cytokinesis during atypical mitosis in male gametogenesis (2018)
Journal Article
Wall, R. J., Ferguson, D. J. P., Freville, A., Franke-Fayard, B., Brady, D., Zeeshan, M., Bottrill, A. R., Wheatley, S., Fry, A. M., Janse, C. J., Yamano, H., Holder, A. A., Guttery, D. S., & Tewari, R. (in press). Plasmodium APC3 mediates chromosome condensation and cytokinesis during atypical mitosis in male gametogenesis. Scientific Reports, 8(1), Article 5610. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23871-9

The anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is a highly conserved multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase that controls mitotic division in eukaryotic cells by tagging cell cycle regulators for proteolysis. APC3 is a key component that contributes to... Read More about Plasmodium APC3 mediates chromosome condensation and cytokinesis during atypical mitosis in male gametogenesis.

An Apicomplexan Actin-Binding Protein Serves as a Connector and Lipid Sensor to Coordinate Motility and Invasion. (2016)
Journal Article

Apicomplexa exhibit a unique form of substrate-dependent gliding motility central for host cell invasion and parasite dissemination. Gliding is powered by rearward translocation of apically secreted transmembrane adhesins via their interaction with t... Read More about An Apicomplexan Actin-Binding Protein Serves as a Connector and Lipid Sensor to Coordinate Motility and Invasion..

SAS6-like protein in Plasmodium indicates that conoid-associated apical complex proteins persist in invasive stages within the mosquito vector (2016)
Journal Article
Wall, R. J., Roques, M., Katris, N. J., Koreny, L., Stanway, R. R., Brady, D., …Tewari, R. (2016). SAS6-like protein in Plasmodium indicates that conoid-associated apical complex proteins persist in invasive stages within the mosquito vector. Scientific Reports, 6(1), https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28604

The SAS6-like (SAS6L) protein, a truncated paralogue of the ubiquitous basal body/centriole protein SAS6, has been characterised recently as a flagellum protein in trypanosomatids, but associated with the conoid in apicomplexan Toxoplasma. The conoid... Read More about SAS6-like protein in Plasmodium indicates that conoid-associated apical complex proteins persist in invasive stages within the mosquito vector.

Plasmodium P-type cyclin CYC3 modulates endomitotic growth during oocyst development in mosquitoes (2015)
Journal Article
Roques, M., Wall, R. J., Douglass, A. P., Ramaprasad, A., Ferguson, D. J. P., Kaindama, M. L., …Tewari, R. (2015). Plasmodium P-type cyclin CYC3 modulates endomitotic growth during oocyst development in mosquitoes. PLoS Pathogens, 11(11), Article e1005273. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005273

Cell-cycle progression and cell division in eukaryotes are governed in part by the cyclin family and their regulation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Cyclins are very well characterised in model systems such as yeast and human cells, but surprisi... Read More about Plasmodium P-type cyclin CYC3 modulates endomitotic growth during oocyst development in mosquitoes.

The Plasmodium Class XIV Myosin, MyoB, Has a Distinct Subcellular Location in Invasive and Motile Stages of the Malaria Parasite and an Unusual Light Chain (2015)
Journal Article
Yusuf, N. A., Green, J. L., Wall, R. J., Knuepfer, E., Moon, R. W., Schulte-Huxel, C., …Holder, A. A. (2015). The Plasmodium Class XIV Myosin, MyoB, Has a Distinct Subcellular Location in Invasive and Motile Stages of the Malaria Parasite and an Unusual Light Chain. Journal of Chemical Sciences, 290, 12147-12164. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M115.637694

Myosin B (MyoB) is one of the two short class XIV myosins encoded in the Plasmodium genome. Class XIV myosins are characterized by a catalytic “head,” a modified “neck,” and the absence of a “tail” region. Myosin A (MyoA), the other class XIV myosin... Read More about The Plasmodium Class XIV Myosin, MyoB, Has a Distinct Subcellular Location in Invasive and Motile Stages of the Malaria Parasite and an Unusual Light Chain.

Genome-wide Functional Analysis of Plasmodium Protein Phosphatases Reveals Key Regulators of Parasite Development and Differentiation (2014)
Journal Article
Guttery, D. S., TEWARI, R., Poulin, B., Ramaprasad, A., Wall, R. J., Ferguson, D. J., …Pain, A. (2014). Genome-wide Functional Analysis of Plasmodium Protein Phosphatases Reveals Key Regulators of Parasite Development and Differentiation. Cell Host and Microbe, 16(1), 128-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2014.05.020

Reversible protein phosphorylation regulated by kinases and phosphatases controls many cellular processes. Although essential functions for the malaria parasite kinome have been reported, the roles of most protein phosphatases (PPs) during Plasmodium... Read More about Genome-wide Functional Analysis of Plasmodium Protein Phosphatases Reveals Key Regulators of Parasite Development and Differentiation.

Validation of N-myristoyltransferase as an antimalarial drug target using an integrated chemical biology approach (2013)
Journal Article

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which leads to approximately one million deaths per annum worldwide. Chemical validation of new antimalarial targets is urgently required in view of rising resistance to cu... Read More about Validation of N-myristoyltransferase as an antimalarial drug target using an integrated chemical biology approach.