Elevated NAD+ drives Sir2A-mediated GCβ deacetylation and OES localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding and mosquito infection

Abstract cGMP signal-activated ookinete gliding is essential for mosquito midgut infection of Plasmodium in malaria transmission. During ookinete development, cGMP synthesizer GCβ polarizes to a unique localization “ookinete extrados site” (OES) until ookinete maturation and activates cGMP signaling...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yang Shi, Lin Wan, Mengmeng Jiao, Chuan-qi Zhong, Huiting Cui, Jing Yuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57517-y
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849761771696422912
author Yang Shi
Lin Wan
Mengmeng Jiao
Chuan-qi Zhong
Huiting Cui
Jing Yuan
author_facet Yang Shi
Lin Wan
Mengmeng Jiao
Chuan-qi Zhong
Huiting Cui
Jing Yuan
author_sort Yang Shi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract cGMP signal-activated ookinete gliding is essential for mosquito midgut infection of Plasmodium in malaria transmission. During ookinete development, cGMP synthesizer GCβ polarizes to a unique localization “ookinete extrados site” (OES) until ookinete maturation and activates cGMP signaling for initiating parasite motility. However, the mechanism underlying GCβ translocation from cytosol to OES remains elusive. Here, we use protein proximity labeling to search the GCβ-interacting proteins in ookinetes of the rodent malaria parasite P. yoelii, and find the top hit Sir2A, a NAD+-dependent sirtuin family deacetylase. Sir2A interacts with GCβ throughout ookinete development. In mature ookinetes, Sir2A co-localizes with GCβ at OES in a mutually dependent manner. Parasites lacking Sir2A lose GCβ localization at OES, ookinete gliding, and mosquito infection, phenocopying GCβ deficiency. GCβ is acetylated at gametocytes but is deacetylated by Sir2A for OES localization at mature ookinetes. We further demonstrate that the level of NAD+, an essential co-substrate for sirtuin, increases during the ookinete development. NAD+ at its maximal level in mature ookinetes promotes Sir2A-catalyzed GCβ deacetylation, ensuring GCβ localization at OES. This study highlights the spatiotemporal coordination of cytosolic NAD+ level and NAD+-dependent Sir2A in regulating GCβ deacetylation and dynamic localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding.
format Article
id doaj-art-7f35c150d0ab4823a61334702a85c8f3
institution DOAJ
issn 2041-1723
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Nature Communications
spelling doaj-art-7f35c150d0ab4823a61334702a85c8f32025-08-20T03:05:55ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-03-0116111810.1038/s41467-025-57517-yElevated NAD+ drives Sir2A-mediated GCβ deacetylation and OES localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding and mosquito infectionYang Shi0Lin Wan1Mengmeng Jiao2Chuan-qi Zhong3Huiting Cui4Jing Yuan5State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityAbstract cGMP signal-activated ookinete gliding is essential for mosquito midgut infection of Plasmodium in malaria transmission. During ookinete development, cGMP synthesizer GCβ polarizes to a unique localization “ookinete extrados site” (OES) until ookinete maturation and activates cGMP signaling for initiating parasite motility. However, the mechanism underlying GCβ translocation from cytosol to OES remains elusive. Here, we use protein proximity labeling to search the GCβ-interacting proteins in ookinetes of the rodent malaria parasite P. yoelii, and find the top hit Sir2A, a NAD+-dependent sirtuin family deacetylase. Sir2A interacts with GCβ throughout ookinete development. In mature ookinetes, Sir2A co-localizes with GCβ at OES in a mutually dependent manner. Parasites lacking Sir2A lose GCβ localization at OES, ookinete gliding, and mosquito infection, phenocopying GCβ deficiency. GCβ is acetylated at gametocytes but is deacetylated by Sir2A for OES localization at mature ookinetes. We further demonstrate that the level of NAD+, an essential co-substrate for sirtuin, increases during the ookinete development. NAD+ at its maximal level in mature ookinetes promotes Sir2A-catalyzed GCβ deacetylation, ensuring GCβ localization at OES. This study highlights the spatiotemporal coordination of cytosolic NAD+ level and NAD+-dependent Sir2A in regulating GCβ deacetylation and dynamic localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57517-y
spellingShingle Yang Shi
Lin Wan
Mengmeng Jiao
Chuan-qi Zhong
Huiting Cui
Jing Yuan
Elevated NAD+ drives Sir2A-mediated GCβ deacetylation and OES localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding and mosquito infection
Nature Communications
title Elevated NAD+ drives Sir2A-mediated GCβ deacetylation and OES localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding and mosquito infection
title_full Elevated NAD+ drives Sir2A-mediated GCβ deacetylation and OES localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding and mosquito infection
title_fullStr Elevated NAD+ drives Sir2A-mediated GCβ deacetylation and OES localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding and mosquito infection
title_full_unstemmed Elevated NAD+ drives Sir2A-mediated GCβ deacetylation and OES localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding and mosquito infection
title_short Elevated NAD+ drives Sir2A-mediated GCβ deacetylation and OES localization for Plasmodium ookinete gliding and mosquito infection
title_sort elevated nad drives sir2a mediated gcβ deacetylation and oes localization for plasmodium ookinete gliding and mosquito infection
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57517-y
work_keys_str_mv AT yangshi elevatednaddrivessir2amediatedgcbdeacetylationandoeslocalizationforplasmodiumookineteglidingandmosquitoinfection
AT linwan elevatednaddrivessir2amediatedgcbdeacetylationandoeslocalizationforplasmodiumookineteglidingandmosquitoinfection
AT mengmengjiao elevatednaddrivessir2amediatedgcbdeacetylationandoeslocalizationforplasmodiumookineteglidingandmosquitoinfection
AT chuanqizhong elevatednaddrivessir2amediatedgcbdeacetylationandoeslocalizationforplasmodiumookineteglidingandmosquitoinfection
AT huitingcui elevatednaddrivessir2amediatedgcbdeacetylationandoeslocalizationforplasmodiumookineteglidingandmosquitoinfection
AT jingyuan elevatednaddrivessir2amediatedgcbdeacetylationandoeslocalizationforplasmodiumookineteglidingandmosquitoinfection