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His group has a long history on studies related to the organization, structure and function of immunovariant antigens and adhesions in malarial parasites. Important contributions to the field include: i) the genomic mapping of var genes; ii) functional knock-outs of var genes; iii) the identification of the STEVOR gene family in P. falciparum and the vir gene family in P. vivax. Recently he has begun to investigate sorting and trafficking of PfEMP1 and STEVOR to the erythrocyte surface. We found that these proteins are directed across the erythrocyte cytoplasm by a continuous membrane network that includes membrane assemblies previously described as Maurer’s clefts and tubovesicular network. To study the signals targeting proteins to this export pathway we produced GFP fusion proteins and studied their trafficking within the infected erythrocyte. Other work conducted by the laboratory includes the study of membrane transport process, particularly those across the food vacuolar membrane. This work includes expression of transporters in Xenopus oocytes and the electro-physiological characterization of the transport process. We also investigate biochemical pathways introduced by the apicoplast to the parasite, in particular the shikimate pathway.
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