Sneaky genes

Three independent
US resm
teams trying to
uncover the strau
adopted by the
malaria parasite
sneak past the
immune defenses
the host, have
converged on I
same group of
genes.

Russell Howard,
Santa Ch
biotech company
and Louis Mil
and Thomas
Wellems, National
institute of
Allergy and
Infectiv
Diseases, showed
that Plasmadh
jalciparum
parasite, avoids
det
tion by switching
between I
genes, each
encoding different version of EMP-1
(Erythrocyte me
brane protein). Surface location of EMP-I on the
infected blood cells signals the parasite's presence to the immune system; thus synthesizing new proteinvarients helps the parasite to avoid detection.