SnapShot: var Gene Expression in the Malaria Parasite

gene family encode the variant PfEMP1 protein. (A) PfEMP1 is exported via vesicle-like structures (Maurer´s clefts) to the plasma membrane of the infected red blood cell and associates with a parasite-derived electron-dense protrusion called the knob on the host erythrocyte surface. PfEMP1 mediates adhesion of infected erythrocytes to receptors on endothelial cells and other host cells. (B) Each individual parasite expresses a single

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