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Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Daily Overview

Session

CP11: Cells, Molecules & Genes 2 - 10 min talks
Location: Lecture Theatre 1
Session Chair: Ellis Joch, Griffith University
Session Chair: Wisam Dawood, Griffith University

Presentation 4

The voltage dependent anion channel is a mitochondrial protein critical to the growth of P. falciparum

Mitchell Trickey^1,2,3, Joyanta Modak^2,3, Natalie Counihan^2,3, Mrittika Chowdury^2,3, Darren Creek¹, Tania de Koning-Ward^2,3

1: Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Australia; 2: School of Medicine, Deakin University, Australia; 3: Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University, Australia

Despite global gains combating malaria, the increasing incidence of antimalarial drug resistance to front line therapeutics demands new drugs with novel targets be developed. Potential targets for the design of therapeutic drugs include channel proteins that are critical for the movement of essential cargo within the parasite. Here, the essentiality of the voltage dependent anion channel (VDAC) was investigated in the deadliest species of malaria P. falciparum, via protein knockdown and localisation studies, followed by mitochondrial drug sensitivity studies and metabolomic analysis. Knockdown of vdac led to a survival defect in the RBC stages. Furthermore, the failure to generate conventional knockouts indicated VDAC is essential for parasite survival. Immunofluorescent microscopy successfully localised VDAC to the mitochondria, while the knockdown of VDAC was shown to sensitise parasites to mitochondrial target drugs atovaquone and proguanil, providing further indication for a role at the parasite mitochondria. Analysis of the parasite metabolic profile following VDAC knockdown is currently being used to investigate a possible role in the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway at the outer mitochondrial membrane. Whilst the precise role of VDAC at the mitochondria requires further investigation, this channel protein is an essential and unique target for the future design of novel antimalarial therapeutics.