Export of Plasmodium proteins via a novel secretory pathway

The intraerythrocytic location of the malaria parasite necessitates modific ation of the host cell. These alterations are mediated either directly or i ndirectly by parasite proteins exported to specific compartments within the host cell. However, little is known about how the parasite specifically fo rgets proteins to locations beyond ifs plasma membrane. Mark Wiser, Norbert Lanners and Richard Bafford here propose an alternative secretory pathway for the export of parasite proteins into the host erythrocyte. The first st ep of this pathway is probably an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-like organelle that is distinct from the normal EX. Possible mechanisms of protein traffi cking in the infected erythrocyte are also discussed.. The proposed EX-like organelle and alternative secretory pathway raise many questions about the cell biology of protein export and trafficking in Plasmodium.