The tubovesicular network in Plasmodium vivax liver-stage hypnozoites and schizonts associates with host aquaporin 3

Abstract

The apicomplexan Plasmodium parasites replicate in the liver before causing malaria. P. vivax can also persist in the liver as dormant hypnozoites and cause relapses upon activation. The host water and solute channel aquaporin-3 (AQP3) has been shown to localize to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) of P. vivax hypnozoites and liver schizonts, along with other Plasmodium species and stages. In this study, we use high-resolution microscopy to characterize temporal changes of the tubovesicular network (TVN), a PVM-derived network within the host cytosol, during P. vivax liver-stage infection. We demonstrate an unexpected role for the TVN in hypnozoites and reveal AQP3 associates with TVN-derived vesicles and extended membrane features. We further show AQP3 recruitment to Toxoplasma gondii. Our results highlight dynamic host-parasite interactions that occur in both dormant and replicating liver-stage P. vivax forms and implicate AQP3 function during this time. Together, these findings enhance our understanding of AQP3 in apicomplexan infection.