Plasmodium falciparum goes bananas for sex.
The sexual blood stages of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum undergo a remarkable transformation from a roughly spherical shape to an elongated crescent or "falciform" morphology from which the species gets its name. In this review, the molecular events that drive this spectacular shape change are discussed and some questions that remain regarding the mechanistic underpinnings are posed. We speculate on the role of the shape changes in promoting sequestration and release of the developing gametocyte, thereby facilitating parasite survival in the host and underpinning transmission to the mosquito vector.
['Dixon|Matthew W A|MWA|', 'Tilley|Leann|L|']
D000818:Animals D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena D009033:Culicidae D004912:Erythrocytes D005260:Female D005718:Gametogenesis D022781:Hepatocytes D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions D006801:Humans D007303:Insect Vectors D008018:Life Cycle Stages D016778:Malaria, Falciparum D008297:Male D008870:Microtubules D010963:Plasmodium falciparum D012100:Reproduction, Asexual
Plasmodium falciparum Gametocyte Transmission Inner membrane complex Microtubules