Mutant/mutation
In the mutant the P. berghei csp gene has been replaced with the P. falciparum (3D7 strain) csp gene. It also expresses the fusion protein GFP-Luciferase under control of the constitutive eef1α promoter. The mutant contains the drug-selectable marker hdhfr.
 
Protein (function)
The CS protein is the major protein on the surface of sporozoites and is critical for development of sporozoites within the oocysts and is involved in motility and invasion of both the salivary gland of the mosquito and the liver cells. The protein is also found on the oocyst plasma membrane and on the inner surface of the oocyst capsule. Specific motifs in CS are involved in sporozoite binding to mosquito salivary glands and in sporozoite attachment to heparan sulfate proteoglycans in the liver of the mammalian host. During substrate-dependent locomotion of sporozoites, CS is secreted at the sporozoite anterior pole, translocated along the sporozoite axis and released on the substrate at the sporozoite posterior pole. Following sporozoite invasion of hepatocytes, the CS is released in the host cell cytoplasm.

Phenotype
No phenotype has been described that is different from wild type P. berghei parasites (although no detailed/direct comparison is made between viability/infectivity of wild type P. berghei sporozoites and the transgenic sporozoites expressing P. falciparum CSP).

Additional information

Other mutants