Malaria parasites survive their stay in a malaria mosquito thanks to an enzyme that chemically modifies one of their surface proteins. An international team led by Leiden parasitologist Chris Janse just presented this discovery in the journal PNAS.

It concerns parasites (Plasmodium sp.) in the sporozoite stage. Sporozoites develop in the intestines of an infected mosquito and then migrate via the body fluids to the salivary glands as the last stop before transferring to humans or animals. Contrary to expectations, the mosquito’s natural defence system leaves them alone during the journey. The parasite produces a glutaminyl cyclase enzyme, QC for short, which can convert the amino acid building blocks glutamine and glutamic acid into (cyclic) pyroglutamic acid.