| disruption of plasmodium falciparum chitinase markedly impairs parasite invasion of mosquito midgut. | to initiate invasion of the mosquito midgut, plasmodium ookinetes secrete chitinolytic activity to penetrate the peritrophic matrix surrounding the blood meal. while ookinetes of the avian malaria parasite plasmodium gallinaceum appear to secrete products of two chitinase genes, to date only one chitinase gene, pfcht1, has been identified in the nearly completed plasmodium falciparum strain 3d7 genome database. to test the hypothesis that the single identified chitinase of p. falciparum is neces ... | 2001 | 11349075 |