Apicortin defines the <i>Plasmodium</i> apical conoid body but is dispensable for the parasite life cycle.

ABSTRACT: Apicomplexan parasites such as Plasmodium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii possess unique tubulin-based structures, including subpellicular microtubules and apical polar rings, which are essential for parasite motility, host cell invasion, and replication. Apicortin, a microtubule-associated protein, contains a doublecortin (DC) domain and a partial tubulin polymerization-promoting protein (TPPP) domain, both implicated in microtubule binding and stabilization. How tubulin-based structures are maintained is poorly understood, but it may involve Apicortin, so far found only in apicomplexans and the placozoan Trichoplax adhaerens Here, we investigated the location and function of Apicortin in Plasmodium berghei Live-cell imaging of a transgen

SUBMITTER: Zeeshan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12811414 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature