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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum
Published on: December 4, 2015
Erythrocyte remodeling by Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes in the human host interplay
Marta Tibúrcio1, Robert Sauerwein2, Catherine Lavazec3
1Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie ed Immunomediate, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena n.299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
The spread of malaria critically relies on the presence of Plasmodium transmission stages - the gametocytes - circulating in the blood of an infected individual, which are taken up by Anopheles mosquitoes. A striking feature of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes is their long development inside the erythrocytes while sequestered in the internal organs of the human host. Recent studies of the molecular and cellular remodeling of the host erythrocyte induced by P. falciparum during gametocyte maturation are shedding light on how these may affect the establishment and maintenance of sequestration of the immature transmission stages and the subsequent release and circulation of mature gametocytes in the peripheral bloodstream.
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