Deconstructing export of malaria proteins

The virulence of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is mediated by parasite proteins exported to the surface of infected erythrocytes. In this issue, Maier et al. ( 2008) report a screen of malaria parasite genes predicted to be involved in parasite protein export and trafficking within the host erythrocyte and discover that many more than expected are essential for parasite survival in vitro.