DFG project - SFB 479

 

Sub project of the SFB 479

Duration: 3 years

Application period: 2007-2009

Doctorate: Dr. Ingrid Rupp

Summary:

The fertilization processes of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum take place after the blood meal in the midgut of the mosquito. The adhesion proteins and enzymes of the parasite expressed during fertilization are potential candidates for transmission-blocking vaccines. So far, however, little is known about the molecular basis of these fertilization processes. The aim of the project was to gain a deeper insight into the cellular and molecular interactions of the sexual stages of P. falciparum and to investigate the mechanisms during the formation of fertilization complexes. Particular attention was paid to the formation of cell-cell connections between the gametes and the role of proteases during gametogenesis.