Journal
PLOS PATHOGENS
Volume 9, Issue 9, Pages -Publisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003623
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Funding
- Wellcome Trust [093587/Z/10/Z]
- University Research Board of the American University of Beirut
- National Center for Scientific Research-Lebanon
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Doctoral Training Grant
- Wellcome Trust [093587/Z/10/Z] Funding Source: Wellcome Trust
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The complement C3-like protein TEP1 of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae is required for defense against malaria parasites and bacteria. Two forms of TEP1 are present in the mosquito hemolymph, the full-length TEP1-F and the proteolytically processed TEP1(cut) that is part of a complex including the leucine-rich repeat proteins LRIM1 and APL1C. Here we show that the non-catalytic serine protease SPCLIP1 is a key regulator of the complement-like pathway. SPCLIP1 is required for accumulation of TEP1 on microbial surfaces, a reaction that leads to lysis of malaria parasites or triggers activation of a cascade culminating with melanization of malaria parasites and bacteria. We also demonstrate that the two forms of TEP1 have distinct roles in the complement-like pathway and provide the first evidence for a complement convertase-like cascade in insects analogous to that in vertebrates. Our findings establish that core principles of complement activation are conserved throughout the evolution of animals.
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