FIGURE 3.

Remodeling of erythrocyte membrane. When merozoites enter the RBC, they are encapsulated within a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) within which they grow, replicate, and communicate with its extracellular environment. In order to do so, the parasite establishes an intricate membranous network in the infected RBC cytosol, known as the Maurer’s clefts and tubulovesicular network (TVN), which resembles the eukaryotic secretory pathway. In infected RBCs, RESA interacts with spectrin protein of the membrane cytoskeleton while Plasmodium falciparum knob-associated His-rich protein (KAHRP) interacts with spectrin under the infected RBC plasma membrane. PfEMP1 proteins that are responsible for cytoadhesion and immune evasion Host proteins 4.1R and spectrin helps in the placement of PfEMP 1 from Maurer’s cleft, are presented at knobs for which KAHRP is known to be crucial. PfEMP3 also binds to spectrin causing deformity in RBC membrane.