Biochemical, functional and structural characterization of the Plasmodium falciparum site specific recombinase Pf-Int
type: Dataset
description: Plasmodium falciparum is a protozoan parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria. In recent years, cases of resistance to antimalarial drugs have become increasingly frequent and common. In addition to its resistance to drugs currently available, there is no vaccine available against this parasite till now. The identification of new approaches based on the specific inhibition of some of its molecular targets has become vital.The identification of the Pf-Int site specific recombinase in Plasmodium falciparum by analysis of PlasmoDB is a new opportunity to study the role of genetic variation in this parasite as it needs to adapt to its hosts. This ~ 57 kDa protein contains a C-terminal domain carrying the putative tyrosine recombinase conserved active site residues R-H-K-R-(H/W)-Y, an N-terminus with a predicted alpha-helical bundle and a mixed alpha-beta domain resembling Lambda-Int. Here, we show that the sequence is highly conserved among members of the Plasmodia. It is expressed differentially during distinct life stages as estimated by RT-PCR, namely with a peak in the schizont phase. We then tried to show the involvement of Pf-Int in the parasitic cycle. We were able to create a parasite where the Pf-Int gene was knocked-out. The comparison test showed that Pf-Int has apparently no impact on the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle of the parasite, particularly in the cycle length and the growth rate.At the molecular level, we produced two sets of anti-Pf-Int antibodies using the purified recombinant fragment C-162 (residues 162-490). Comparison of protein extracts from KO and wild parasite by Western blot technique using our antibody has failed to identify the endogenous protein in the wild type parasite.We also tried to determine the subcellular localization of Pf-Int and the role of possible alternate initiation codons by over-expressing different constructs in the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. In order to determine the impact of the N-termina…
identifier: NNT: 2012PA114807
issued: 2026-05-22T16:11:31.655978
language: fr
modified: 2026-05-22T16:11:31.655984
contact point: Organization
  fn: CCSD
keyword: dna-binding-protein
keyword: evolution
keyword: genetic-site-specific-recombinase
keyword: infoeu-reposemanticsdoctoralthesis
keyword: plasmodium-falciparum
keyword: recombinaison-genetique-a-site-specifique
keyword: sdvsalife-sciences-q-bioagricultural-sciences
keyword: theses
keyword: tyrosine-recombinase
keyword: variabilite-antigenique
landing page: https://theses.hal.science/tel-00685428

Biochemical, functional and structural characterization of the Plasmodium falciparum site specific recombinase Pf-Int
type: Distribution
format: HTML
issued: 2026-05-22T16:11:31.719290
modified: 2026-05-22T16:11:31.623932
access URL: https://theses.hal.science/tel-00685428

test_moissonnage_selune
type: Agent