Theodore F. Taraschi, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair for Education
Anatomy, Pathology and Cell Biology

Contact Dr. Taraschi

1020 Locust Street
Room 229
Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215) 503-5020

Education
Qualifications PhD, Rutgers University, Chemistry, 1980

University Appointment
Professor and Vice Chair for Education
Anatomy, Pathology and Cell Biology
Thomas Jefferson University

Research and Clinical Interests
The invasion of erythrocytes by Plasmodium falciparum parasites produces an infection that causes major changes in the structure, composition, antigenicity and function of the host cell membrane. During infection, the parasite actively imports obligate nutrients from the serum and exports lipids, proteins and membranes to the erythrocyte cytoplasm and the erythrocyte membrane. The regulation of these pathways must be under parasite control since mature erythrocytes have limited lipid synthetic or metabolic capabilities and do not have the machinery to synthesize or process proteins. Elucidation of trafficking pathways is complex in Plasmodia-infected erythrocytes compared to other eukaryotic cells, since the parasite is separated from the serum by its plasma membrane, the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane PVM and the erythrocyte membrane. There remains a long-felt need to identify the cellular components of these trafficking pathways to gain a better understanding of transport mechanisms in malaria-infected erythrocytes.

The laboratory is engaged in three areas of inquiry:

• Elucidation of parasite protein trafficking pathways from intracellular parasites to the erythrocyte cytosol and host cell membrane
• Determination of the mechanism of hemoglobin uptake and transport by intraerythrocytic parasites
• Characterization of parasite DNA repair pathways (e.g. base excision and mismatch repair)

Publications

1. Malaria drug resistance is associated with defective DNA mismatch repair
2. The longin domain regulates the steady-state dynamics of sec22 in plasmodium falciparum
3. A new model for hemoglobin ingestion and transport by the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
4. Expression and biochemical characterization of the Plasmodium falciparum DNA repair enzyme, flap endonuclease-1 (PfFEN-1)
5. Expression and biochemical characterization of Plasmodium falciparum DNA ligase I
6. Delivery of the malaria virulence protein PfEMP1 to the erythrocyte surface requires cholesterol-rich domains
7. Effects of D-myo-inositol 1-phosphate on the transfer function of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein α
8. L-α-Glycerylphosphorylcholine inhibits the transfer function of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein α
9. Generation of an erythrocyte vesicle transport system by Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites
10. Evidence of an intraerythrocytic secretory pathway in erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium falciparum
11. Vesicle-mediated trafficking of parasite proteins to the host cell cytosol and erythrocyte surface membrane in Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes
12. Phospholipid-bound β2-glycoprotein I induces the production of anti-phospholipid antibodies
13. Gelonin is an unusual DNA glycosylase that removes adenine from single-stranded DNA, normal base pairs mismatches
14. Activity of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein is sensitive to ethanol and membrane curvature
15. Letter to the editor [2]
16. Evidence for vesicle-mediated trafficking of parasite proteins to the host cell cytosol and erythrocyte surface membrane in Plasmodium falciparum infected ertythrocytes
17. DNA base excision repair in human malaria parasites is predominantly by a long-patch pathway
18. Direct binding of lupus anticoagulant antibodies to nonbilayer phosphatidylethanolamine
19. Characterization of class II apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease activities in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum
20. Macromolecular transport in malaria-infected erythrocytes

(This list reflects the most recent 20 publications)