Biology subjects

Verhoef, J. M. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Verhoef, J. M. J..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Plasmodium falciparum stomatin-like protein forms a putative complex with a metalloprotease in distinct mitochondrial loci

Withdrawal statementThis manuscript has been withdrawn owing to a duplicate posting of manuscript number BIORXIV/2024/604071. This was a technical error for which the authors are not responsible, and this DOI for the work should not be cited as reference. The record is retained here for purposes of transparency. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author. The correct preprint can be found at doi: 10.1101/2024.07.18.604071

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2025

Blood, sweat, and beers: investigating mosquito biting preferences amidst noise and intoxication in a cross-sectional cohort study at a large music festival

IntroductionWe live in a world split between mosquito magnets and those lucky enough to remain (nearly) untouched. The reasons why some people attract more mosquito bites than others remain largely mysterious. In the Mosquito Magnet Trial, we investigated differences in mosquito attraction amongst festivalgoers with varying levels of hygiene and intoxication. MethodsOur study was conducted in a slightly steamy pop-up laboratory inside four connected shipping containers at Lowlands Festival in The Netherlands (August 18-20, 2023). Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire on hygiene, diet, and festival-related behaviour (including alcohol uptake and shared sleeping arrangements). Mosquito attraction was measured using a custom designed setup: a transparent cage with perforations where female Anopheles mosquitoes were offered a choice between a sugar-feeder and the participants arm. Mosquitoes could only smell, not bite, the participants arm. Attraction was quantified through video imaging, measuring arm landings relative to total landings. Mosquito attraction was correlated with questionnaire responses and skin microbiota profiles collected from forearm skin swabs. ResultsAmongst the 465 included participants, mosquitoes showed a clear fondness for those who drank beer over those who abstained from the liquid gold (Fold Change 1.35, 95% CI 1.12-1.63, PFDR<0.001). Attraction was also contagious: participants that successfully lured a fellow human into their tent the previous night also proved more enticing to mosquitoes (FC 1.34, 95% CI 1.14-1.58, PFDR=0.002). Meanwhile, skipping the morning showering routine and using sunscreen reduced mosquito attraction (FC 0.52, 95% 0.38-0.70, PFDR<0.001). Streptococci were more abundant on the skin of highly attractive individuals (Puncorrected=0.017), and the overall abundance of malodour associated bacteria was high - possibly reflecting the containers smell. ConclusionThe Mosquito Magnet Trial, to our knowledge the largest study of its kind, was conducted in a loosely controlled setting with a selection bias towards science loving festivalgoers. That said, using our custom designed experimental set-up, we found that mosquitoes are drawn to those who avoid sunscreen, drink beer, and share their bed. They simply have a taste for the hedonists among us.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2024

The role of stomatin-like protein (STOML) in Plasmodium falciparum

Members of the Stomatin, Prohibitin, Flotillin and HflK/C (SPFH) protein family form large membrane anchored or spanning complexes and are involved in various functions in different organelles. The human malaria causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum harbors four SPFH proteins, including prohibitin 1 and 2, prohibitin-like protein (PHBL), and stomatin-like protein (STOML), which all localize to the parasite mitochondrion. In the murine model parasite Plasmodium berghei, STOML appears essential for asexual blood-stage (ABS) development and is localized to puncta on mitochondrial branching points in oocyst stages. In this study, we show that deletion of STOML causes a significant growth defect and slower ABS development, while sexual-stage development remains unaffected. Parasites lacking STOML were not more sensitive to respiratory chain targeting drugs, rendering a function of STOML in respiratory chain assembly unlikely. Epitope tagging of endogenous STOML revealed a distinct punctate localization on branching points and endings of the ABS mitochondrial network. STOML resides in a large protein complex and pulldown experiments identified a zinc dependent metalloprotease, FtsH, as a likely interaction partner. The predicted AlphaFold2 structure of STOML shows high similarity with the bacterial HflK/C, which has been shown to form a large vault-like structure around bacterial FtsH hexamers. Combined, our results suggest that a similar STOML-FtsH complex localized to specific loci of P. falciparum mitochondria facilitate the parasites ABS development.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2024

Detailing organelle division and segregation in Plasmodium falciparum

The malaria causing parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, replicates through a tightly orchestrated process termed schizogony, where approximately 32 daughter parasites are formed in a single infected red blood cell and thousands of daughter cells in mosquito or liver stages. One-per-cell organelles, such as the mitochondrion and apicoplast, need to be properly divided and segregated to ensure a complete set of organelles per daughter parasites. Although this is highly essential, details about the processes and mechanisms involved remain unknown. We developed a new reporter parasite line that allows visualization of the mitochondrion in blood and mosquito stages. Using high-resolution 3D-imaging, we found that the mitochondrion orients in a cartwheel structure, prior to stepwise, non-geometric division during the last stage of schizogony. Analysis of focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) data confirmed these mitochondrial division stages. Furthermore, these data allowed us to elucidate apicoplast division steps, highlighted its close association with the mitochondrion, and showed putative roles of the centriolar plaques (CPs) in apicoplast segregation. These observations form the foundation for a new detailed mechanistic model of mitochondrial and apicoplast division and segregation during P. falciparum schizogony and pave the way for future studies into the proteins and protein complexes involved in organelle division and segregation.

microbiology↗