Authors: Takeshi Ono, Laura Cabrita-Santos, Ricardo Leitao, Esther Bettiol, Lisa A. Purcell, Olga Diaz-Pulido, Lucy B. Andrews, Takushi Tadakuma, Purnima Bhanot, Maria M. Mota, Ana Rodriguez
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000008
Abstract Summary
Malaria parasites must migrate through liver cells before establishing infection. Researchers found that this migration triggers a cAMP-dependent exocytosis process controlled by adenylyl cyclase α (ACα). Parasites lacking ACα showed 50% reduced liver infectivity, which was restored when the gene was reintroduced—demonstrating ACα is essential for malaria’s initial infection stage.
Why Brain? 🧠
Researchers identified a key enzyme (adenylyl cyclase α) essential for malaria parasites to infect liver cells. Blocking this enzyme reduced infection by 50%, revealing a potential new drug target to prevent malaria.
License: CC BY.
The image is AI-generated for illustrative purposes only. Courtesy of Midjourney.
