Data from: Atlas of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development using expansion microscopy

Apicomplexan parasites exhibit tremendous diversity in much of their
fundamental cell biology, but study of these organisms using light
microscopy is often hindered by their small size. Ultrastructural
expansion microscopy (U-ExM) is a microscopy preparation method that
physically expands the sample ∼4.5x. Here, we apply U-ExM to the human
malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum during the asexual blood stage of
its lifecycle to understand how this parasite is organized in
three-dimensions. Using a combination of dye-conjugated reagents and
immunostaining, we have catalogued 13 different P. falciparum structures
or organelles across the intraerythrocytic development of this parasite
and made multiple observations about fundamental parasite cell biology. We
describe that the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) and its associated
proteins anchor the nucleus to the parasite plasma membrane during
mitosis. Furthermore, the rhoptries, Golgi, basal complex, and inner
membrane complex, which form around this anchoring site while nuclei are
still dividing, are concurrently segregated and maintain an association to
the MTOC until the start of segmentation. We also show that the
mitochondrion and apicoplast undergo sequential fission events while
maintaining an MTOC association during cytokinesis. Collectively, this
study represents the most detailed ultrastructural analysis of P.
falciparum during its intraerythrocytic development to date, and sheds
light on multiple poorly understood aspects of its organelle biogenesis
and fundamental cell biology.