Protein Kinase A Is Essential for Invasion of Plasmodium falciparum into Human Erythrocytes

Malaria continues to present a major global health burden, particularly in low-resource countries. Plasmodium falciparum , the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria, causes disease through rapid and repeated rounds of invasion and replication within red blood cells. Invasion into red blood cells is essential for P. falciparum survival, and the molecular events mediating this process have gained much attention as potential therapeutic targets. With no effective vaccine available, and with the emergence of resistance to antimalarials, there is an urgent need for the development of new therapeutics. Our research has used genetic techniques to provide evidence of an essential protein kinase involved in P. falciparum invasion. Our work adds to the current understanding of parasite signaling processes required for invasion, highlighting PKA as a potential drug target to inhibit invasion for the treatment of malaria.