Malaria Parasite Pre-Erythrocytic Stage Infection: Gliding and Hiding Ashley M. Vaughan, Ahmed S.I. Aly, Stefan H.I. Kappe  Cell Host & Microbe  Volume 4, Issue 3, Pages 209-218 (September 2008) DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2008.08.010 Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 The Sporozoite Journey to the Hepatocyte and Subsequent Liver Stage Development: Parasite/Host Interactions The infectious sporozoite is deposited into the skin and subsequently enters the bloodstream through a capillary endothelial cell (CE). A number of sporozoites also enter draining lymph nodes and can partially develop within the lymphoid endothelium (LE). Once in the liver sinusoid, sporozoites glide along the fenestrated endothelia (SE) and cross the sinusoidal cell barrier by traversing a resident Kupffer cell (KC). The sporozoite then traverses a number of hepatocytes before invading a hepatocyte with the formation of a parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). Massive replication and growth lead to the formation of erythrocyte-infectious merozoites that enter the sinusoid packaged in extrusomes/merosomes and are subsequently released in the pulmonary bloodstream. The parasite and host proteins known to be involved in the individual steps of this cascade are listed under the appropriate location, and a timeline for the whole process for rodent parasites and human parasites (postinfection, PI) is depicted at the base of the figure. Those proteins not referred to in the text are apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA1) and thrombospondin-related sporozoite protein (TRSP). Cell Host & Microbe 2008 4, 209-218DOI: (10.1016/j.chom.2008.08.010) Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions