Three typtic‐peptide sequences of an 88‐kDa pair of phosphoproteins of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum were determined. They exhibit a striking similarity to corresponding sequences of the 89‐kDa domain of human erythrocyte ankyrin. [35S]Methionine labeling of the two proteins demonstrated thier parasitic origin. Using an appropriate oligonucletide probe, Southern‐blot analysis of genomic malaria DNA and Norhtern‐blot analysis of malaria RNA suggest the existence of ankyrin‐related sequences in the parasite genome and the presence of an ankyrin‐related transcirpt of about 3.2 kb. Our studies provide further evidence of malaria‐specific analogues of host‐cell proteins, implying an unusual kind of parasite/host interaction.
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