| Popis: |
During its journey through the human host, the malaria parasite makes strong use of adhesive interactions with its environment. We use biophysical assays and mathematical models to investigate the underlying mechanisms. After release into the host skin during a mosquito blood meal, the malaria sporozoite quickly moves through the connective tissue using gliding motility. On a flat substrate, single cells follow circular trajectories with stick-and-slip motion. Using pillar arrays and agent-based computer simulations, we show how this circular motion is converted into different motion patterns that depend on the geometrical properties of the environment. During the blood stage, malaria parasites rebuild the infected red blood cells so that they start adhering to the vascular endothelium, in order to avoid clearance by the spleen. Using flow chamber experiments and adhesive dynamics simulations, we show how stable rolling adhesion in shear flow emerges roughly at the transition from the trophozoite to the schizont stage. |
