Calmidazolium evokes high calcium fluctuations in Plasmodium falciparum

Calcium and calmodulin (CaM) are important players in eukaryote cell signaling. In the present study, by using a knockin approach, we demonstrated the expression and localization of CaM in all erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum. Under extracellular Ca2+-free conditions, calmidazolium (CZ), a potent CaM inhibitor, promoted a transient cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]cyt) increase in isolated trophozoites, indicating that CZ mobilizes intracellular sources of calcium. In the same extracellular Ca2+-free conditions, the [Ca2+]cyt rise elicited by CZ treatment was ~3.5 fold higher when the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium store was previously depleted ruling out the mobilization of calcium from the ER by CZ. The effects of the Ca2+/H+ ionophore ionomycin (ION) and the Na+/H+ ionophore monensin (MON) suggest that the [Ca2+]cyt-increasing effect of CZ is driven by the removal of Ca2+ from at least one Ca2+-CaM-related (CaMR) protein as well as by the mobilization of Ca2+ from intracellular acidic calcium stores. Moreover, we showed that the mitochondrion participates in the sequestration of the cytosolic Ca2+ elicited by CZ. Finally, the modulation of membrane Ca2+ channels by CZ and thapsigargin (THG) was demonstrated. The opened channels were blocked by the unspecific calcium channel blocker Co2+ but not by 2-APB (capacitative calcium entry inhibitor) or nifedipine (L-type Ca2+ channel inhibitor). Taken together, the results suggested that one CaMR protein is an important modulator of calcium signaling and homeostasis during the Plasmodium intraerythrocytic cell cycle, working as a relevant intracellular Ca2+ reservoir in the parasite.