Cryo-ET of the knob spiral. (a) A section through a cryo-electron tomogram showing knobs and the underlying spiral in top view (red) and side view (blue). A presumably premature spiral is highlighted in yellow. Arrowheads indicate peripheral densities. Scale bar, 50 nm. (b) Volume rendered presentation of the density map of the knob spiral in cross-sectional view. The plasma membrane of the red blood cell (PM), the connecting rod between spiral and plasma membrane, and the spiral turns are indicated. (c) Bottom view of the knob spiral without the plasma membrane. (d) Slice though the average map of the knob with dimensions. Scale bar, 20 nm. (e) Averaged tomogram of the knob spiral in top view highlighting intra-spiral densities between the 2nd and 3rd turn in some but not all spirals (green box; arrow points towards intraspiral dentities) and peripheral crown-like densities at the outer turn indicated by brackets.

Sanchez CP, Patra P, Chang SS, Karathanasis C, Hanebutte L, Kilian N, Cyrklaff M, Heilemann M, Schwarz US, Kudryashev M, Lanzer M. KAHRP dynamically relocalizes to remodeled actin junctions and associates with knob spirals in P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes. Mol Microbiol. 2021 Sep 13