PfHO is essential for parasite viability and apicoplast maintenance.
A) Western blot of untreated or Dox/IPP-treated parasites with endogenously tagged PfHO-GFP-DHFRDD. B) Immunogold TEM of a fixed 3D7 parasite endogenously expressing PfHO-GFP-DHFRDD and stained with anti-GFP (12 nm, white arrows) and anti-apicoplast ACP (18 nm) antibodies. C) Synchronized growth assay of Dd2 parasites tagged at the PfHO locus with the aptamer/TetR-DOZI system and grown ± 1 µM aTC and ± 200 µM IPP. Data points are the average ±SD of biological triplicates. Inset: western blot analysis of PfHO expression for 100 µg total lysates from parasites grown 3 days ±aTC, analyzed in duplicate samples run on the same gel, and stained with either custom anti-PfHO antibody or anti-heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) as loading control. Densitometry of western blot bands indicated >80% reduction in PfHO expression. D) Live microscopy of PfHO-aptamer/TetR-DOZI parasites episomally expressing apicoplast-localized GFP (PfHO N-Term-GFP) grown 5 days ±aTC with 200 µM IPP. White scale bars in bottom right corners are 1 µm. Right: Population analysis of apicoplast morphology scored for punctate versus dispersed GFP signal in 110 total parasites from biological triplicate experiments. Statistical significance was calculated by Student’s t-test. E) Quantitative PCR analysis of the apicoplast: nuclear genome ratio for PfHO-aptamer/TetR-DOZI parasites cultured 5 days ±aTC with 200 µM IPP, based on amplification of apicoplast (SufB: Pf3D7_API04700, ClpM: Pf3D7_API03600, TufA: Pf3D7_API02900) relative to nuclear (STL: Pf3D7_0717700, I5P: Pf3D7_0802500, ADSL: Pf3D7_0206700) genes. Indicated qPCR ratios were normalized to +aTC and are the average ±SD of biological triplicates. Significance of ±aTC difference was analyzed by Student’s t-test.
Figure supplement 1. Schemes for modification of the PfHO genomic locus to integrate the C-terminal GFP-DHFRDD or HA2-glmS tags.
Figure supplement 2. IFA microscopy of 3D7 parasites expressing PfHO-GFP-DHFRDD.
Figure supplement 3. Additional immunogold TEM images of 3D7 parasites expressing PfHO-GFP-DHFRDD.
Figure supplement 4. Scheme for modification of the PfHO genomic locus to integrate the aptamer/TetR-DOZI system.
Figure supplement 5. Validation of custom PfHO antibody specificity.
Figure supplement 6. Quantitative PCR and additional western blot analysis of PfHO expression ±aTC with 200 µM IPP.
Figure supplement 7. Giemsa-stained smears of PfHO-aptamer/TetR-DOZI parasites grown in ±aTC.
Figure supplement 8. Additional fluorescence microscopy images of PfHO-aptamer/TetR-DOZI parasites episomally expressing apicoplast-localized GFP grown 5 days ±aTC with 200 µM IPP.
Source data 1. Uncropped western blots of parasites with endogenously tagged PfHO-GFP-DHFRDD.
Source data 2. Uncropped western blots of PfHO expression.
Source data 3. Uncropped Southern blot of parasite DNA from PfHO-GFP-DHFRDD cultures.
Source data 4. Uncropped PCR gel of parasite DNA from PfHO-HA2-glmS cultures.
Source data 5. Uncropped PCR gel of parasite DNA from PfHO-aptamer/TetR-DOZI cultures.
Source data 6. Uncropped Southern blot of parasite DNA from PfHO-aptamer/TetR-DOZI cultures.
Source Data 7. Uncropped western blot of 3D7 parasites stained with rabbit serum prior to inoculation with PfHO protein antigen.
Source Data 8. Uncropped western blot of E. coli expressing PfHO84–305 and 3D7 parasites stained with crude serum from the final bleed of a rabbit inoculated with PfHO protein antigen.