# Characterizing the Plasmodium falciparum Subpellicular Network

> **NIH NIH F31** · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · 2022 · $40,496

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The cytoskeleton of Plasmodium spp. is essential for replication, motility, and infectivity in both human and
mosquito life stages. P. falciparum, the causative agent of the most severe form of human malaria, leverages a
family of cytoskeletal proteins known as the alveolins to meet its diverse needs. These intermediate filament-like
proteins are absent outside the Alveolate kingdom, making them attractive drug targets. The alveolins have
stage-specific expression patterns and form an intricate lattice which envelops the parasite just below the pellicle,
another hallmark of Alveolata consisting of the parasite plasma membrane and inner membrane complex.
Remarkable progress has been achieved in characterizing the role of alveolins in P. berghei mosquito stages.
However, the functional role of individual alveolins in Plasmodium asexual stages remains unexplored. We have
recently demonstrated that the alveolin PfIMC1g is essential for P. falciparum asexual replication, but it remains
unclear what function this protein serves within the larger context of the Plasmodium cytoskeleton. Using
inducible knockdown (iKD) and knockout (iKO) systems in conjunction with super-resolution and platinum replica
electron microscopy, I will characterize the role of alveolin PfIMC1g (PF3D7_0525800) in P. falciparum daughter
cell segmentation and red blood cell invasion. This will elucidate its individual role in parasite cell shape and
ability to endure mechanical stress. In addition, I will use expansion microscopy to map the other alveolins
present in the asexual stages of the parasite, their interactions with each other, and test their essentiality for
daughter cell formation through conventional KO and iKO approaches. This research will increase our
understanding of the functional role that these building blocks of the P. falciparum SPN serve and determine
how they come together to enable its formation, function, and remodeling during segmentation. Together, these
insights into intermediate-filament-like cytoskeletal proteins and their organizing principles will bring us one step
closer to targeting these proteins with new antimalarial drugs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10533135
- **Project number:** 1F31AI172110-01
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** Ana Karla Cepeda Diaz
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $40,496
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2025-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10533135

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10533135, Characterizing the Plasmodium falciparum Subpellicular Network (1F31AI172110-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10533135. Licensed CC0.

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