Malaria parasite Plasmodium gallinaceum up-regulates host red blood cell channels

The properties of the malaria parasite-induced permeability pathways in the host red blood cell have been a major area of interest particularly in the context of whether the pathways are host- or parasite-derived. In the pres ent study, the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique has be en used to show that, compared with normal cells, chicken red blood cells i nfected by Plasmodium gallinaceum exhibited a 5-40-fold larger membrane con ductance, which could be further increased up to 100-fold by raising intrac ellular Ca2+ levels, The increased conductance was not due to pathways with novel electrophysiological properties. Rather, the parasite increased the activity of endogenous 24 pS stretch-activated non-selective cationic (NSC) and 62 pS calcium-activated NSC channels, and, in some cases, of endogenou s 255 pS anionic channels, (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B,V, on b ehalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies.