The sexual blood stages of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum undergo a remarkable transformation from a roughly spherical shape to an elongated crescent or “falciform” morphology from which the species gets its name. In this review, the molecular events that drive this spectacular shape change are discussed and some questions that remain regarding the mechanistic underpinnings are posed. We speculate on the role of the shape changes in promoting sequestration and release of the developing gametocyte, thereby facilitating parasite survival in the host and underpinning transmission to the mosquito vector.

中文翻译：

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恶性疟原虫为性而去香蕉

人类疟原虫恶性疟原虫的有性血液阶段经历了从大致球形到细长的新月形或“镰状”形态的显着转变，该物种由此得名。在这篇综述中，讨论了驱动这种壮观形状变化的分子事件，并提出了一些关于机械基础的问题。我们推测形状变化在促进发育中配子体的隔离和释放中的作用，从而促进寄生虫在宿主中的存活并支持向蚊子载体的传播。