Plasmodium falciparum induces reorganization of host membrane proteins during intraerythrocytic growth

Abstract

The virulence of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciperum, is due in large part to the way in which it modifies the membrane of its erythrocyte host. In this work we have used confocal microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching to examine the lateral mobility of host membrane proteins in erythrocytes infected with P falciparum at different stages of parasite growth. The erythrocyte membrane proteins band 3 and glycophorin show a marked decrease in mobility during the trophozoite stage of growth. Erythrocytes infected with a parasite strain that does not express the knob-associated histidine-rich protein show similar effects, indicating that this parasite protein does not co..