The AMA1-RON complex drives Plasmodium sporozoite invasion in the mosquito and mammalian hosts

Sporozoites and merozoites share a number of proteins that are expressed by both stages, including the Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA1) and the Rhoptry Neck Proteins (RONs). Although AMA1 and RONs are essential for merozoite invasion of erythrocytes during asexual blood stage replication of the malaria parasite, their precise function in sporozoites is unclear. Here we performed RFP-trap immunoprecipitation experiments using lysates from transgenic sporozoites expressing RON4 fused to mCherry. RON4, RON2, RON5 and AMA1 were the main proteins identified by mass spectrometry among co-precipitated proteins, showing that AMA1-RON interactions are conserved in salivary gland sporozoites.