clathrin associated proteins in human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

To reveal clathrin associated proteins in Plasmodium falciparum, clathrin heavy chain (CHC), clathrin light chain (CLC), and AP1 gamma subunit (AP1r) were tagged with GFP in the parasite. Immunoprecipitations (IPs) were performed with anti-GFP beads from parasite cytosol, parasitophorous vacuole (PV) and infected red blood cell membrane (iRBCM). clathrin coated vesicles (CCVs) were also purified from parasite by ultracentrifugation. Proteomic data from these pulldowns indicate that clathrin is majorly associated with AP1 subunits and involved in protein export. Surprisingly, we also discovered that clathrin is exported PV and deposited underneath the knobs in iRBCM.