N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT) inhibition results in loss of the IMC and irreversible loss of parasite viability before parasite egress. d, Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy of parasites 35 h or 45 h PI, cultured in the presence of NMT inhibitor (1 mM 1a) or DMSO. Green, secondary antibody fluorescence; blue, DAPI (nuclear stain). All images at identical magnification. Scale bars, 5 mm. In Plasmodium, nuclear division precedes cell division, and the IMC initially appears as small ring-like structures, which then extend around developing merozoites during schizont segmentation (cell division). This transition was recapitulated in immunofluorescence images of DMSO-treated parasites at 35 and 45 h PI, whereas in the inhibitor treated parasites the IMC structure was not visible at either time point.

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N-myristoyltransferase as an antimalarial drug target using an integrated

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