Functional analysis of erythrocyte determinants of Plasmodium infection.
The Plasmodium falciparum parasite is an obligate intracellular pathogen whose invasion and remodelling of the human erythrocyte results in the clinical manifestations of malarial disease. The functional analysis of erythrocyte determinants of invasion and growth is a relatively unexplored frontier in malaria research, encompassing studies of natural variation of the erythrocyte, as well as genomic, biochemical and chemical biological and transgenic approaches. These studies have allowed the functional analysis of the erythrocyte in vitro, resulting in the discovery of critical erythrocyte determinants of Plasmodium infection. Here, we will focus on the varied approaches used for the study of the erythrocyte in Plasmodium infection, with a particular emphasis on erythrocyte invasion.
Harvard School of Public Health, 665, Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Room 715, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Amy K
AK
Bei
Manoj T
MT
Duraisingh
D004705:Endocytosis; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000472:pathogenicity*