SUN-domain proteins of the malaria parasite <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> are essential for proper nuclear division and DNA repair

<i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>, the parasite causing the deadliest form of malaria, is able to thrive in its human host by tight regulation of cellular processes, orchestrating nuclear dynamics with cytoplasmic machineries that are separated by the nuclear envelope. One of the major protein complexes that connect nuclear and cytoplasmic processes in eukaryotes is the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex. However, while the nuclear periphery of <i>P. falciparum</i> was implicated in several important functions, the role of the LINC complex in Plasmodium biology is unknown. Here, we identify two components of <i>P. falciparum</i> LINC complex and demonstrate that they are essential for the parasites' proliferation in human blood, and their depletion leads to the formation of morphological changes in the cell. In addition, the two components have different functions in activating the DNA damage response and in their association with heterochromatin. Our data provide evidence for their essential roles in the parasites' cell cycle.