Infected erythrocytes and plasma proteomics reveal a specific protein signature of severe malaria

Autor: Jeremy Fraering, Virginie Salnot, Emilie-Fleur Gautier, Sem Ezinmegnon, Nicolas Argy, Katell Peoc’h, Hana Manceau, Jules Alao, François Guillonneau, Florence Migot-Nabias, Gwladys I Bertin, Claire Kamaliddin, NeuroCM consortium
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: EMBO Molecular Medicine, Vol 16, Iss 2, Pp 319-333 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1757-4684
DOI: 10.1038/s44321-023-00010-0
Popis: Abstract Cerebral malaria (CM), the most lethal complication of Plasmodium falciparum severe malaria (SM), remains fatal for 15–25% of affected children despite the availability of treatment. P. falciparum infects and multiplies in erythrocytes, contributing to anemia, parasite sequestration, and inflammation. An unbiased proteomic assessment of infected erythrocytes and plasma samples from 24 Beninese children was performed to study the complex mechanisms underlying CM. A significant down-regulation of proteins from the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway and an up-regulation of the erythroid precursor marker transferrin receptor protein 1 (TFRC) were associated with infected erythrocytes from CM patients. At the plasma level, the samples clustered according to clinical presentation. Significantly, increased levels of the 20S proteasome components were associated with SM. Targeted quantification assays confirmed these findings on a larger cohort (n = 340). These findings suggest that parasites causing CM preferentially infect reticulocytes or erythroblasts and alter their maturation. Importantly, the host plasma proteome serves as a specific signature of SM and presents a remarkable opportunity for developing innovative diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals