Electron micrograph of 3D7-AP-2μ-floxed-3xHA schizonts, with and without 1h ring-stage treatment with 10 nM rap. Micronemes at the apical end of developing merozoites are labelled with arrowheads; asterisks indicate membrane separation. FV: food (digestive) vacuole; H: haemozoin; L: lipid body; M: merozoite; R: rhoptry. Scale bar: 500 nm. PfAP-2μ is required for schizogony. Examining these deformed schizonts by electron microscopy revealed that AP-2μ deletion results in gross morphological defects during schizogony and merozoite biogenesis. Merozoites forming within AP-2μ-KO schizonts are highly disorganised and misshapen within the parental schizont plasma membrane, and there are large pockets of schizont cytosol between the malformed merozoites. The schizont plasma membrane seems indistinct, loosely encircling the deformed merozoites with irregular invaginations not seen in wild-type parasites

Modification of an atypical clathrin-independent AP-2 adaptin complex of Plasmodium falciparum reduces susceptibility to artemisinin. Ryan C. Henrici, Rachel L. Edwards, Martin Zoltner, Donelly A. van Schalkwyk, Melissa N. Hart, Franziska Mohring, Robert W. Moon, Stephanie D. Nofal, Avnish Patel, Christian Flueck, David A. Baker, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/621078