Figure 1. Structural features in the cytoplasm of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes containing different haemoglobin variants.

Cryo-electron tomograms represented by projections of 50 nm-thick slices (left panels) and surface-rendered views of reconstructed volumes (right panels) are shown. Infected erythrocytes at the trophozoite stage (24–32 h post invasion) were investigated throughout the study. P. falciparum-infected (top panels) and -uninfected (bottom panels) HbAA (a), HbAS (b), HbAC (c) and HbF erythrocytes (d). Representative examples of six tomograms are shown for each case. K, knobs (red); MC, Maurer's clefts (cyan); PM, erythrocyte plasma membrane (dark blue); V, vesicles (cyan); actin filaments (yellow) indicated by arrowheads in the sections. Scale bars, 100 nm.