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Endogenous structure of antimalarial target PfATP4 reveals an apicomplexan-specific P-type ATPase modulator
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Endogenous structure of antimalarial target PfATP4 reveals an apicomplexan-specific P-type ATPase modulator

Meseret T. Haile, Anurag Shukla, James Zhen, Michael W. Mather, Suyash Bhatnagar, Joanne M. Morrisey, Zhening Zhang, Akhil B. Vaidya and Chi-Min Ho
Nature communications, v 16(1), 9092
20 Oct 2025
PMID: 41115914
url
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64815-yView
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Science Science (multidisciplinary)
The Plasmodium falciparum sodium efflux pump Pf ATP4 is a leading antimalarial target, but suffers from a lack of high-resolution structural information needed to identify functionally important features in conserved regions and guide rational design of next generation inhibitors. Here, we determine a 3.7 Å cryoEM structure of Pf ATP4 purified from CRISPR-engineered P. falciparum parasites, revealing a previously unknown, apicomplexan-specific binding partner, Pf ABP, which forms a conserved, likely modulatory interaction with Pf ATP4. The discovery of Pf ABP presents an unexplored avenue for designing Pf ATP4 inhibitors. Here, the authors present the 3.7 Å cryoEM structure of native sodium efflux pump PfATP4 from Plasmodium falciparum , revealing a bound protein that they term apicomplexan-specific essential binding partner (PfABP).

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
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