Mutant/mutation
The mutant expresses an N-terminal GFP-tagged version of P. berghei Sec13. The transgene is integrated into the silent c/d-type rrna gene unit under control of the constitutive eef1a promoter. Sec13p is a component of COPII-coated vesicles that has been used previously in P. falciparum to visualise the tER.

Protein (function)
Sec61β is a known marker protein for endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Sec61β, together with Sec61α and Sec61γ, builds the Sec61 complex, which forms a channel through the ER membrane and is central to co- and post-translational protein translocation. Membrane-bound ribosomes are known to be tightly associated with the Sec61 complex to facilitate co-translational protein transport.
Successfully folded proteins exit the ER at ER sub-domains, so-called tER sites, to then be transported to the cis-Golgi for further modification and sorting. Sec13p is a component of COPII-coated vesicles that has been used previously in P. falciparum to visualise the tER.

Phenotype
PbcSec13p-GFP-infected HeLa cells were fixed between 24 and 56 hpi and stained with anti-PbBiP antiserum to allow visualisation of the ER with tER sites at mid to late liver stage development. PbSec13p is localised in distinct foci, which were found to be distributed along the parasite ER during the Plasmodium liver stage. Interestingly, tER foci are also present at ER accumulations, seemingly concentrated at their periphery. Generally, tER foci appear to be more abundant at ER accumulations than at other sites of the ER. Merozoites of mature schizonts each harbour a single tER site, localised at a distinct region of the parasite perinuclear ER (see also  RMgm-1588 for a mutant expresses an N-terminal GFP-tagged version of P. berghei Sec61β. Sec61β is a known marker protein for endoplasmic reticulum (ER). .

Additional information

Other mutants