PIC6

PIC6 (PF3D7_0530300) is a component of the inner membrane complex (IMC) of Plasmodium falciparum, identified through its association with PhIL1 (PMID:33830607). In asexual blood-stage parasites, PIC6 was recovered among previously uncharacterized proteins enriched by PhIL1-BioID proximity labeling, and endogenous GFP-tagging confirmed its localization to the IMC (PMID:33830607). Beyond establishing PIC6 as a PhIL1-proximal IMC protein, no molecular activity, substrate, or functional role for PIC6 itself has been characterized in the available corpus.

1. 2017 Low

   Before this work it was unknown which proteins associate with PhIL1 in the gametocyte IMC; co-immunoprecipitation placed PIC6 within the PhIL1-associated complex, marking it as a candidate IMC component.

   Evidence Immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry of the gametocyte IMC in P. falciparum

   PMID:28985225

   Open questions at the time

   • Single Co-IP/MS identification without reciprocal validation or direct functional follow-up on PIC6
   • Does not establish whether the interaction is direct or bridged by other complex members
   • No localization confirmation of PIC6 itself in gametocytes
2. 2021 Medium

   Whether PIC6 is a bona fide IMC resident rather than a transient co-purifying protein was unresolved; proximity labeling plus endogenous tagging established PIC6 as a validated IMC protein in asexual blood stages.

   Evidence PhIL1-BioID proximity-dependent biotinylation with mass spectrometry, plus endogenous GFP-tagging for localization, in asexual blood-stage P. falciparum

   PMID:33830607

   Open questions at the time

   • No functional characterization (knockout/knockdown) of PIC6 to define its role in the IMC
   • Molecular activity and direct binding partners of PIC6 remain undefined
   • No structural model or domain-level mechanism established

• The specific molecular function of PIC6 within the IMC, its essentiality, and whether it acts beyond passive complex membership remain unknown.
• No loss-of-function phenotype reported for PIC6
• No defined biochemical activity or substrate
• Role across life-cycle stages beyond IMC association undetermined