Bottoms up! Malaria parasite invasion the right way around.
Trends Parasitol
; 39(12): 1004-1013, 2023 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37827961
ABSTRACT
A critical part of the malaria parasite's life cycle is invasion of red blood cells (RBCs) by merozoites. Inside RBCs, the parasite forms a schizont, which undergoes segmentation to produce daughter merozoites. These cells are released, establishing cycles of invasion. Traditionally, merozoites are represented as nonmotile, egg-shaped cells that invade RBCs 'narrower end' first and pack within schizonts with this narrower end facing outwards. Here, we discuss recent evidence and re-evaluate previous data which suggest that merozoites are capable of motility and have spherical or elongated-teardrop shapes. Furthermore, merozoites invade RBCs 'wider end' first and pack within schizonts with this wider end facing outwards. We encourage the field to review this revised model and consider its implications for future studies.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Parasitos
/
Malária
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article