<i>Plasmodium</i> sporozoites use CD81, but not CAPN5 or CBLB for hepatoma cell entry.

<p>(A) Lunet N hCD81 human hepatoma cells were infected with sporozoites of a <i>P</i>. <i>yoelii</i> GFP reporter strain for 180 min, then fixed at 48 hpi, stained for the parasite protein UIS4 and the nuclear stain Hoechst 33342 and analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. Development of exoerythrocytic forms indicated by co-localization of GFP with the parasitophorous vacuole marker UIS4. Scale bar: 50 μm. (B) Lunet N and Lunet N hCD81 cells were infected as in (A) and productively infected cells quantified by fluorescence microscopy. Mean and SEM of 4 biological replicates shown. (C) Schematic overview of the experimental setup used to analyze the role of CD81 interacting proteins in <i>P</i>. <i>yoelii</i> entry into Lunet N hepatoma cells. (D) Human hepatoma cells were transfected with a pool of three siRNAs as described in <a href="http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1007111#ppat.1007111.g003" target="_blank">Fig 3C</a>, followed by infection with sporozoites of a <i>P</i>. <i>yoelii</i> GFP reporter strain. Infectivity was measured 24 hpi as formation of exoerythrocytic forms by microscopy. Knock down of CD81 significantly decreased <i>P</i>. <i>yoelii</i> infection (p≤ 0.05; abs (z score) ≥ 2). Data from 2 biological replicates shown as mean +SEM. See also <a href="http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1007111#ppat.1007111.s004" target="_blank">S4</a> and <a href="http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1007111#ppat.1007111.s007" target="_blank">S7</a> Figs.