Gamete interruptus; a novel calcium-dependent kinase is essential for malaria sexual reproduction.
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.
Vernick
Kenneth D
KD
Center for Microbial and Plant Genomics and Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, 1500 Gortner Avenue, St Paul, MN 55108, USA.
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
D011494:Protein Kinases; D014977:Xanthurenates; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; C028330:xanthurenic acid