Publications by authors named "Andres Lill"
Apicomplexan parasites contain rhoptries, which are specialized secretory organelles that coordinate host cell invasion. During the process of invasion, rhoptries secrete their contents to facilitate interaction with, and entry into, the host cell. Here, we report the crystal structure of the rhoptry protein Armadillo Repeats-Only (ARO) from the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum (PfARO).
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- - The malaria parasite uses variant surface antigens (VSAs), particularly the polymorphic STEVOR proteins, during its development in red blood cells to help establish and maintain infection while evading the host immune response.
- - Deep RNA sequencing revealed that most genes in the malaria parasite display a biphasic expression pattern, peaking during trophozoite and late schizont stages, with specific STEVOR variants confirmed to localize to both the host cell surface and the parasite's internal structures.
- - A particular STEVOR protein was found to be crucial at the interface between the parasite and host during cell invasion, highlighting the complex evolutionary strategies the parasite employs, including gene duplications and sequence diversity, to avoid immune detection and contribute