Institute of Cell Biology

The Institute of Cell Biology performs cutting-edge research in molecular and cell biology to study a wide variety of topics that include Host Pathogen Interactions, Systems Biology, Epigenetics, Organelle Biogenesis and Developmental processes.

PLOS ONE

Generation of a genetically double-attenuated Plasmodium berghei parasite that fully arrests growth during late liver stage development

The latest study from the Malaria Lab focuses on developing the next generation of malaria vaccines using genetically attenuated parasites (GAPs). By deleting two crucial genes for Plasmodium liver stage development, we demonstrate that our PbHscB-PbMei2 double-knockout (2-KO) parasite line results in a complete developmental arrest at this critical stage.

This groudbreaking discovery paves the way for future vaccine designs targeting the Plasmodium liver stage, thereby preventing the symptomatic blood phase of malaria.

Melanie Schmid*, Raphael Beyeler*, Reto Caldelari, Ruth Rehmann, Volker Heussler and Magali Roques

Gluenz Lab

Evolutionary adaptations of doublet microtubules in trypanosomatid parasites

In a new study published in Science, the Gluenz lab investigated motility mechanisms of Leishmania parasites. The Brown lab at Harvard mapped the structure of the Leishmania axonemal microtubule doublets by cryo-EM and Sophia Fochler and former Gluenz lab members Tom Beneke and James Smith used CRISPR gene editing to manipulate individual building blocks from this structure to identify proteins that are crucial for movement.

Matthew H. Doran et al. Science 387, eadr5507(2025). DOI:10.1126/science.adr5507

Expanding the Fluorescent Toolkit: Blue Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Plasmodium berghei for Enhanced Multiplex Microscopy

In this study, we generated two Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) lines expressing cytosolic BFP through double crossover homologous recombination targeting the silent 230p locus: eBFP2 (PbeBFP2) and mTagBFP2 (PbmTagBFP2). Expression of BFP throughout the parasite's life cycle was driven by the robust Hsp70 promoter, ensuring stable, detectable protein levels suitable for fluorescent light analysis methods, including flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy. These lines enable simultaneous microscopy studies of proteins tagged with GFP, RFP, or detected by fluorophore-labeled antibodies, enhancing the analysis of complex biological interactions.

Kodzo Atchou, Reto Caldelari, Magali Roques, Jacqueline Schmuckli-Maurer, Raphael Beyeler, Volker Heussler

Contact

University of Bern
Institute of Cell Biology

Baltzerstrasse 4
3012 Bern