Mutant/mutation
The mutant contains a mutated ron4 gene with two LoxN sites, one upstream and one downstream of the gene. It also contains a GFP expression cassette, upstream of ron4 but between the two LoxN sites.
In addition, it contains a Dicre expression cassette and an mCherry expression cassette, both introduced into the neutral 230p locus.
Published in: bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.04.474787   

Protein (function)
The micronemal protein AMA1 is a type I transmembrane protein and is a surface protein of the merozoite. Merozoites invade target host cells actively by gliding through a structure known as the moving junction (MJ). formation of the MJ involves the export of rhoptry neck proteins RONs into the host cell, where RON2 is inserted into the host cell membrane and serves as a receptor for the Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA1), that is secreted from the micronemes onto the surface of the parasite. Formation of the MJ is associated with active penetration inside the parasitophorous vacuole (PV), which is essential for further development and replication of the parasite.

Phenotype
No phenotype different from wildtype parasites.
After rapamycin treatment of parasites using methods described for mutant RMgm-4900, the ron4 gene (and the GFP gene) is excised. See Additional Information below. 

Additional information

From the abstract:
' In this study, we used the DiCre system to achieve conditional deletion of ama1, ron2 and ron4 genes in P. berghei sporozoites. Our data reveal that sporozoites rely on AMA1 and RONs to invade salivary glands in the mosquito and hepatocytes in the mammalian host, implying a conserved feature of the invasion process across invasive stages of Plasmodium.'

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