Formation of the moving junction is the nexus for host cytoskeletal remodelling during Plasmodium falciparum invasion of human erythrocytes

Plasmodium falciparum invasion of human erythrocytes is a complex and tightly coordinated process, involving host cell attachment, moving junction formation and engagement of the parasite’s actomyosin motor. The temporal precision of these events is mediated by distinct ligand-receptor interactions and the sequential release of the merozoite’s apical organelles. What remains unclear is how these molecular and biophysical interactions enable Plasmodium to bypass the stable erythrocyte membrane-cytoskeletal complex. Here, several P. falciparum lines expressing different fluorescently tagged apical organelle proteins, were imaged with lattice light sheet microscopy (LLSM) to determine the timing of cytoskeletal disassembly and apical organelle release. Blocking the AMA1-RON2 interaction has no effect on the PfRh5-basigin Ca ²⁺ flux but prevents host cytoskeleton disassembly. In contrast, the inhibition of parasite actin polymerisation had no effect on cytoskeletal clearance but caused a sustained Ca ²⁺ response. We further demonstrate that establishment of the moving junction is temporally linked to clearance of the host cytoskeleton.

Collectively, our findings support the existence of an association between the RON complex and components of the host cytoskeleton, which mediates the localised disruption of the erythrocyte-membrane cytoskeletal complex during invasion.