Ultrastructural dynamics of basal bodies during microgamete formation and fertilisation in Plasmodium
- 1Oxford Brookes University
Abstract
Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based organelles found in a wide range of eukaryotic organisms that form cilia and flagella are assembled from basal bodies. In the malaria parasite, eight flagellated microgametes are assembled from 8 basal bodies that form de novo as a single group (not next to a parent basal body) in the cytoplasm of microgametocytes extremely rapidly, in as little 8 minutes but is not synchronised. The flagellated microgametes exit from a microgametocyte, each consisting of an axoneme and a haploid nucleus. Fertilisation occurs via a HAP2-mediated fusion with the macrogamete. Despite the essential role of microgametes in malaria transmission and being the only flagellated stage, little is known about the process of basal body formation, biogenesis at the ultrastructure level and their role in fertilisation. We used dual axis serial section electron tomography (ssET) to reveal the unusual single microtubule structure of the basal body and discovered an associated electron dense basal body granule. Using whole cell reconstructions of microgametocytes, free microgametes and macrogametes by serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), we discovered a deuterosome-like structure only present during the initial formation of 8 basal bodies that could be a nucleating platform for de novo basal body formation. Finally, we reveal that entry of the microgamete into the macrogamete occurs via directed event at a single point of entry with the basal body and granule leading entry. These discoveries highlight the essential functions of basal bodies from initial microgamete assembly to male-female gamete fertilisation.
Related
- Spatial and genetic dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein2 in sub-Saharan Africa
- Long-Term Fertilisation Regimes, Crop Yield and Rhizosphere Microecology in a Wheat–Soybean Rotation System
- Application of organic fertilisation such as poultry manure enhanced carbohydrate, fat and vitamin C contents of Huckleberry (Solanum scabrum) more than mineral fertilisation in Buea-Cameroon
- Effects of Drought, Followed by Waterlogging, on Biomass, Leaf Physiology and Chemistry of Wheat Partly Depend on Fertilisation
- The evolutionary interplay between self-fertilisation and sex allocation in flowering plants
BibTeX
@misc{hair2026ultrastructural,
title = {{Ultrastructural dynamics of basal bodies during microgamete formation and fertilisation in Plasmodium}},
author = {M. Hair and R. Yanase and D. J. P. Ferguson and D. Brady and R. J. Wheeler and R. Tewari and S. Vaughan},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.06.749571},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.06.749571v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Ultrastructural dynamics of basal bodies during microgamete formation and fertilisation in Plasmodium
AU - M. Hair
AU - R. Yanase
AU - D. J. P. Ferguson
AU - D. Brady
AU - R. J. Wheeler
AU - R. Tewari
AU - S. Vaughan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/06
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.06.749571
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.06.749571v1
AB - Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based organelles found in a wide range of eukaryotic organisms that form cilia and flagella are assembled from basal bodies. In the malaria parasite, eight flagellated microgametes are assembled from 8 basal bodies that form de novo as a single group (not next to a parent basal body) in the cytoplasm of microgametocytes extremely rapidly, in as little 8 minutes but is not synchronised. The flagellated microgametes exit from a microgametocyte, each consisting of an axoneme and a haploid nucleus. Fertilisation occurs via a HAP2-mediated fusion with the macrogamete. Despite the essential role of microgametes in malaria transmission and being the only flagellated stage, little is known about the process of basal body formation, biogenesis at the ultrastructure level and their role in fertilisation. We used dual axis serial section electron tomography (ssET) to reveal the unusual single microtubule structure of the basal body and discovered an associated electron dense basal body granule. Using whole cell reconstructions of microgametocytes, free microgametes and macrogametes by serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), we discovered a deuterosome-like structure only present during the initial formation of 8 basal bodies that could be a nucleating platform for de novo basal body formation. Finally, we reveal that entry of the microgamete into the macrogamete occurs via directed event at a single point of entry with the basal body and granule leading entry. These discoveries highlight the essential functions of basal bodies from initial microgamete assembly to male-female gamete fertilisation.
ER -