Malaria is the most serious mosquito-borne parasitic disease, caused mainly by the intracellular parasite Plasmodium falciparum (Pf). This parasite invades human red blood cells and releases extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying DNA, RNA, proteins and lipids which are involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. It has been shown in mammalian systems that the pool of EVs is divided into different subpopulations, each with distinct cargo components. Here, in order to identify unique EV populations in malaria system, we harvested total EVs from Pf-infected RBCs, and subjected them to a size separation using Asymmetric Flow Field-Flow Fractionation (AF4).
Interestingly, we found two distinct subpopulations of EVs, secreted by parasitic infected cells, which differed in their sizes (10-70 nm and of 30-500 nm). Next, to further characterize the protein cargo within these two EV subpopulations we performed mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Both human and parasitic proteins were identified in each subpopulation. Surprisingly, the enriched cellular pathways are different for each subpopulation with complement system proteins in the small EVs and proteasome proteins in the largest EVs. Additionally, we plan to direct our efforts in order to understand the fusion abilities of each subpopulation with the cell membrane and the endosome. This will clarify how malaria parasites utilize the EV subpopulations as a communication tool altering their host system.

Analysis of extracellular vesicles from malaria-infected erythrocytes by field flow fractionation reveal distinct nanoparticle subsets

Exploring the intricacies of host-pathogen communication is vital in order to understand why
some microbes persist within a host, while others are effectively cleared. As such,
host-pathogen communication is an urgent area of research underpinning human health
and disease, especially given the emerging concerns of antibiotic resistance.
Understanding host-pathogen pathways requires intricate knowledge in the fields of both
microbiology and immunology.

Living in a world of specialists, where scientists sometimes invest their whole career
studying one organism, a specific pathway or a protein, multidisciplinary discussions of
host-pathogen interactions are highly needed. This international conference will provide
such a forum for scientific exchange at the highest level, between scientists from different
research areas related to host-pathogen interactions, with the aim to trigger fruitful
collaborations addressing the urgent questions in the field.

This meeting has an additional special focus of bringing researchers from Ireland, Denmark
and Israel together to learn about cutting edge biology and form new collaborations.
Thus, the conference will be a showcase for the exciting and original research emanating
from these three small but innovative countries.