title: Talking to each other to initiate sexual differentiation.
abstract: During the blood stage of their life cycle, malaria parasites invade and replicate within host erythrocytes. Some parasites differentiate to form male and female gametocytes, enabling transmission to the insect vector. Two studies by Regev-Rudzki et al. and Mantel et al. reveal an unexpected role for cell-cell communication using extracellular vesicles in triggering the commitment of malaria parasites toward sexual differentiation.
authors.affiliation: ICREA at Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clinic - Universitat de Barcelona), 08036 Barcelona, Spain. hernandoa.delportillo@cresib.cat
authors.forename: Hernando A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Del Portillo
authors.forename: Chetan E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Chitnis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000502:physiology*