SKA3

PF3D7_1349600 (SKA3) is a kinetochore-associated protein of Plasmodium falciparum identified through interactomics combined with deep homology searches as a previously unrecognized component of the apicomplexan kinetochore, a multiprotein assembly involved in chromosome segregation (PMID:36006241). Subkinetochore localization mapping places SKA3 within this kinetochore complex (PMID:36006241). Beyond its membership in the kinetochore assembly established in (PMID:36006241), no further mechanistic detail — including its specific molecular function, direct binding partners, or a loss-of-function phenotype — has been characterized in the available corpus.

1. 2022 Medium

   Whether Apicomplexa possess unrecognized kinetochore components was unknown; combining interactomics with deep homology searches identified PF3D7_1349600 (SKA3) as a novel kinetochore protein, establishing it as part of the chromosome-segregation machinery in P. falciparum.

   Evidence Interactomics (Co-IP/pulldown) with deep homology searches and subkinetochore localization mapping in Plasmodium falciparum

   PMID:36006241

   Open questions at the time

   • No functional mutagenesis or reconstitution of SKA3 specifically to define its role within the kinetochore
   • Direct binding partners of SKA3 and its precise position in the complex are not resolved
   • No loss-of-function phenotype linking SKA3 to a specific step of chromosome segregation

• The specific molecular function of SKA3, its direct interactions, and its requirement for chromosome segregation in P. falciparum remain to be defined.
• No functional or structural characterization of SKA3 beyond complex membership
• Mechanism of recruitment to the kinetochore unknown
• No evidence distinguishing SKA3's role from other kinetochore components