Blocking IP signal transduction pathways inhibits melatonin-induced Ca signals and impairs P. falciparum development and proliferation in erythrocytes.

Inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate (IP) signaling plays a crucial role in a wide range of eukaryotic processes. In Plasmodium falciparum, IP elicits Ca release from intracellular Ca stores, even though no IP receptor homolog has been identified to date. The human host hormone melatonin plays a key role in entraining the P.