Plasmodium berghei liver stages establish a damage-mimicking vacuole to hijack host ER membrane contact site machinery for lipid uptake
Dominik Liebeck, Jacqueline Schmuckli‐Maurer, Stephan Hirschi, Michaela Bulloch, Reto Caldelari, Nina Urban, Virginia Gruenig, Aymeric Dossmann Ritter, Alva Josefin Assmann, Philipp Olias, Heussler, Paul‐Christian Burda
This study shows Plasmodium berghei liver stages mimic damaged endolysosomal membranes to hijack host ER contact sites for lipid uptake, enhancing parasite survival.
bioRxiv · Jun 30, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology