Protein landscape of the chromatin domains in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Ramón-Zamorano G, Mainye S, Kimmel J, de Krijger I, Kanyal A, Horáčková V, Gockel J, van den Broek M, Guo Y, Petter M, Graser M, Guillén-Samander A, Vermeulen M, Spielmann T, Bártfai R (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Cell Host & Microbe Elsevier (Cell Press)

DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2026.07.016

Abstract

Epigenetic regulation is essential for development and adaptation across eukaryotes. However, a comprehensive overview of the molecular framework of chromatin-mediated regulation, particularly in non-model organisms, is lacking. Here, we present a systematic proteomic characterization of the chromatin domains in P. falciparum , an ancient human pathogen with a unique genome composition and epigenetic blueprint. We adapted and employed three proximity-labeling approaches to provide a high-confidence and comprehensive proteome of heterochromatin, euchromatin, and (peri)centromeric chromatin comprising 214 proteins, including both expected and new chromatin components. Characterization of 20 proteins validated our approach and uncovered (1) a protein influencing parasite transmission, (2) complexes relevant for histone variant exchange and chromatin-RNA interactions, and (3) the so-far believed-to-be-absent spindle assembly checkpoint and the corresponding Bub1-like kinase. This study hence offers a reference proteome of the chromatin domains and a resource to uncover novel chromatin biology.

Authors with CRIS profile

Michaela Petter Institute of Microbiology – Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene

Involved external institutions

Radboud University Nijmegen NL Netherlands (NL) Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin (BNITM) / Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Ramón-Zamorano, G., Mainye, S., Kimmel, J., de Krijger, I., Kanyal, A., Horáčková, V.,... Bártfai, R. (2026). Protein landscape of the chromatin domains in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Cell Host & Microbe. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2026.07.016

MLA:

Ramón-Zamorano, Gala, et al. "Protein landscape of the chromatin domains in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum." Cell Host & Microbe (2026).

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