The need for new malaria control strategies has led to increased efforts to
understand more clearly the mosquito stages of Plasmodium. The absolute re
quirement of gamete maturation and fertilization, transformation of sedenta
ry zygote to motile ookinete, ookinete interaction and invasion of gut epit
helium, and the survival of the mosquito against immune attack suggest that
numerous unidentified targets exist, which could be modified to achieve tr
ansmission-blocking of malaria. In the search for new transmission-blocking
targets in the mosquito gut, Mohammed Shahabuddin, Stephane Cociancich and
Helge Zieler here summarize recent studies to identify the cellular and bi
ochemical factors that affect the malaria parasite's development; in partic
ular, factors influencing the early development of Plasmodium, receptor-med
iated interactions between the parasite and the mosquito midgut, and the gu
t-associated immune responses directed against Plasmodium.