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Plasmodium helical interspersed subtelomeric family—an enigmatic piece of the Plasmodium biology puzzle

  • Immunology and Host-Parasite Interactions - Review
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Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) refurbishes the infected erythrocytes by exporting a myriad of parasite proteins to the host cell. A novel exported protein family ‘Plasmodium Helical Interspersed Subtelomeric’ (PHIST) has gained attention for its significant roles in parasite biology. Here, we have collected and analysed available information on PHIST members to enhance understanding of their functions, varied localization and structure-function correlation. Functional diversity of PHIST proteins is highlighted by their involvement in PfEMP1 (Pf erythrocyte membrane protein 1) expression, trafficking and switching. This family also contributes to cytoadherence, gametocytogenesis, host cell modification and generation of extracellular vesicles. While the PHIST domain forms the hallmark of this family, existence and functions of additional domains (LyMP, TIGR01639) and the MEC motif underscores its diversity further. Since specific PHIST proteins seem to form pairs with PfEMP1 members, we have used in silico tools to predict such potential partners in Pf. This information and our analysis of structural data on a PHIST member provide important insights into their functioning. This review overall enables readers to view the PHIST family comprehensively, while highlighting key knowledge gaps in the field.

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  1. Vikash Kumar and Ankita Behl contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India

    Vikash Kumar, Rachana Sharma, Aanchal Sharma & Rachna Hora

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India

    Ankita Behl

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  1. Vikash Kumar
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Kumar, V., Behl, A., Sharma, R. et al. Plasmodium helical interspersed subtelomeric family—an enigmatic piece of the Plasmodium biology puzzle. Parasitol Res 118, 2753–2766 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06420-9

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