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Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Videos made years ago by Jerome Vanderberg at the New York University School of Medicine showed sporozoites that appeared to enter and exit
cells without the aide of an internalization vesicle, but this behavior was originally believed to be an artifact. Upon re-examining the old videos, NYU cell biologists became intrigued by
the phenomenon and decided to investigate further. “At the time people believed that the parasites were going underneath the cells, but when we saw these movies, we really had the impression
that the sporozoites were moving through them,” said NYU researcher Ana Rodriguez. Rodriguez and colleagues began using time-lapse video analysis and fluorescent antibody labeling
experiments to track the movement of _Plasmodium_ sporozoites in cell cultures. In the 5 January issue of _Science_, Mota _et al_. (_Science_ 291, 141–144) demonstrate that the parasites are
actually capable of breaching the plasma membrane to enter and exit cells. The confocal image (picture) shows two sporozoites (blue) that have disrupted the hepatocyte plasma membrane (red)
and are able to move throughout the cytosol (green), independent of vacuolar membranes. In some cases the cell is capable of rapidly resealing the broken membrane, but in other cases the
breakage causes cytoplasmic leakage and cell death. Mota _et al_. determined that sporozoites transverse an average of four cells an hour, and suggest that they may need to traverse several
cells in search of hepatocytes that are suitable for infection. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution
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Contact customer support Authors * Kristine Novak View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT
THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Novak, K. Picky _Plasmodium_ search for the perfect host. _Nat Med_ 7, 153 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/84582 Download citation * Issue Date: February 2001
* DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/84582 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not
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