SUMMARY Development of malaria parasites within vertebrate erythrocytes requires nutrient uptake at the host cell membrane. The plasmodial surface anion channel (PSAC) mediates this transport and is an antimalarial target, but despite its importance, its molecular basis has been unknown. We now report a parasite gene family responsible for PSAC activity. We performed high-throughput screening to find transport inhibitors specific for distinct lines of the human pathogen P. falciparum. One inhibitor, 800-fold more active against PSAC from the Dd2 line than from HB3 parasites, was used with a genetic cross to map a single parasite locus on chromosome 3. DNA transfection and in vitro selections indicate that PSAC-inhibitor interactions are determined by two clag genes previously assumed to function in cytoadherence. These genes are conserved in plasmodia, exhibit expression switching, and encode an integral protein on the host membrane, as predicted by functional studies. This protein establishes novel ion channel activity on the erythrocyte surface.

Background: Malaria parasites acquire antimalarial resistance through incompletely understood mechanisms. Results: Resistance to blasticidin S results from reversible silencing of parasite clag genes through histone modifications without DNA level changes. Conclusion: Sophisticated epigenetic control of clag genes permits regulated control of nutrient and antimalarial transport at the host membrane. Significance: This resistance mechanism allows rapid parasite adaptation to environmental pressures and is worrisome for drug discovery efforts.

Summary Malaria parasites grow within erythrocytes, but are also free in host plasma between cycles of asexual replication. As a result, the parasite is exposed to fluctuating levels of Na+ and K+, ions assumed to serve important roles for the human pathogen, Plasmodium falciparum. We examined these assumptions and the parasite's ionic requirements by establishing continuous culture in novel sucrose-based media. With sucrose as the primary osmoticant and K+ and Cl− as the main extracellular ions, we obtained parasite growth and propagation at rates indistinguishable from those in physiological media. These conditions abolish long-known increases in intracellular Na+ via parasite-induced channels, excluding a requirement for erythrocyte cation remodeling. We also dissected Na+, K+, and Cl− requirements and found that unexpectedly low concentrations of each ion meet the parasite's demands. Surprisingly, growth was not adversely affected by up to 148 mM K+, suggesting that low extracellular K+ is not an essential trigger for erythrocyte invasion. At the same time, merozoite egress and invasion required a threshold ionic strength, suggesting critical electrostatic interactions between macromolecules at these stages. These findings provide insights into transmembrane signaling in malaria and reveal fundamental differences between host and parasite ionic requirements.