Juxtamembrane shedding of Plasmodium falciparum AMA1 is sequence independent and essential, and helps evade invasion-inhibitory antibodies.
The malarial life cycle involves repeated rounds of intraerythrocytic replication interspersed by host cell rupture which releases merozoites that rapidly invade fresh erythrocytes.Apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA1) is a merozoite protein that plays a critical role in invasion.Antibodies against AMA1 prevent invasion and can protect against malaria i