title: Red cell receptors as access points for malaria infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Red cell receptors provide unique entry points for Plasmodium parasites to initiate blood-stage malaria infection. Parasites encode distinct ligands that bind specifically to both highly abundant and low-copy receptors. Recent advances in the understanding of molecular and structural mechanisms of these interactions provide fundamental insights into receptor-ligand biology and molecular targets for intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The review focuses on the requirements for known interactions, insight derived from complex structures, and mechanisms of receptor/ligand engagement. Further, novel roles for established red cell membrane proteins, parasite ligands and associated interacting partners have recently been established in red cell invasion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The new knowledge underlines the intricacies involved in invasion by a eukaryotic parasite into a eukaryotic host cell demonstrated by expanded parasite ligand families, redundancy in red cell receptor engagement, multitiered temporal binding, and the breadth of receptors engaged.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis bDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Nichole D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Salinas
authors.forename: Niraj H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Tolia
mesh_terms: D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology*; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface