title: Gamete interruptus; a novel calcium-dependent kinase is essential for malaria sexual reproduction.
abstract: Malaria parasites undergo sexual fertilization minutes after the bloodmeal enters the mosquito midgut. In this issue of Cell, Billker et al. (2004) describe a new Plasmodium calcium-dependent protein kinase essential for gamete formation, and show that it is required for parasite transmission.
authors.affiliation: Center for Microbial and Plant Genomics and Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, 1500 Gortner Avenue, St Paul, MN 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Vernick
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014977:Xanthurenates / Q000378:metabolism; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D011494:Protein Kinases; D014977:Xanthurenates; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; C028330:xanthurenic acid