Cellular Hallmarks From Volume Electron Microscopy Reveal Developmental Progression of Plasmodium Ookinetes.

Darif N, Rheinnecker M, Hildenbrand K, Chookajorn T, Dorner LP, Hériché JK, Henriksson S, Funaya C, Hentzschel F, Sandblad L, Billker O, Schwab Y, Frischknecht F

Adv Sci (Weinh) - (-) e08250 [2025-09-30; online 2025-09-30]

Unicellular organisms or cells of metazoans often change their morphology during development or life cycle progression to adapt to environmental changes. Malaria parasites undergo a striking range of morphological transformations as they navigate through the different environments of mammalian hosts and mosquito vectors. These developmental transitions are accompanied by changes in the subcellular organelles. Here, this work introduces an unbiased approach using volume electron microscopy (vEM) to facilitate cluster analyses of morphometric parameters during developmental transformation. Investigating the transformation of fertilized Plasmodium zygotes into the motile ookinetes with three complementary vEM techniques revealed intimate mitochondrion-nucleus interactions, different microtubule arrangements, elongated shapes of micronemes and their close interaction with the apicoplast. The presented data and approach provide an open-access subcellular atlas for ookinete development to aid mechanistic molecular insights from reverse genetic studies and a framework for the ultrastructural study of other parasite stages and developmental transitions in general.

Integrated Microscopy Technologies Umeå [Collaborative]

PubMed 41025598

DOI 10.1002/advs.202508250

Crossref 10.1002/advs.202508250