Malaria parasites borrow human haemoglobin to support their skeleton
Human haemoglobin has a structural role inside developing malaria parasites, beyond its familiar use as their food. A peer-reviewed laboratory study found haemoglobin attached to the microtubules that support the parasite’s elongated form. Experiments with different haemoglobin types disrupted this arrangement and maturation, while clinical effects remain untested.
Science··Evening
Haemoglobin joined the parasite’s internal supports
Human haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells, also supports a malaria parasite’s internal structure. A peer-reviewed laboratory study examined Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes, which are involved in transfer to mosquitoes. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the team identified haemoglobin attached to microtubules beneath the parasite’s surface. Those tubular structures help maintain its elongated shape. The finding adds a structural role to the protein’s established use as a nutrient by the parasite.[1]
Laboratory changes disrupted maturation
The bound haemoglobin consisted of paired alpha and beta subunits, instead of the usual adult assembly of four subunits. Imaging inside infected cells supported the association. Disrupting microtubule formation interfered with haemoglobin’s linear arrangement and gametocyte maturation. Development in fetal-haemoglobin-rich cord blood cells also differed from development in adult red blood cells: the microtubule organization was disrupted and maturation was impaired in the cord-blood comparison.[1]
The protein’s route remains unresolved
Fluorescence microscopy and culture experiments complemented the structural work, along with tests of molecular proximity. The route carrying the host protein to those microtubules remains unconfirmed. The authors propose that it might escape small digestive compartments, and the precise protective mechanism against microtubule breakdown remains unresolved. The experiments concern parasite development in laboratory systems; they include no clinical trial demonstrating a safe way to prevent transmission in people.[1]
