Mutant/mutation
The mutant lacks expression of MAP2 protein.

Protein (function)
MAP kinases are serine/threonine protein kinases involved in a variety of functions including cell proliferation.

Phenotype
The mutant produces wild-type levels of gametocytes and wild-type male:female gametocyte ratios but male gamete formation (i.e. exflagellation) is inhibited; presumably the few exflagellations seen in clone b1 represent revertant wild type parasites, but this was not tested (see also 'Additional remarks genetic modification').
The 'Oocyst' and 'Sporozoite' phenotype of the mutants has been analyzed. No oocysts were observed in mosquitoes fed on mice infected with clone c2 or b1. No sporozoites in mosquitoes fed on mice infected with clone c2. Very few sporozoites were observed with clone b1. possibly representing revertant WT parasites (see also 'Additional remarks genetic modification').

See also the paper by Dorin-Semblat D. et al. (2007, Mol Microbiol 65, 1170-1180) for unsuccessful attempts to knock-out map2 in P. falciparum, indicating that in P. falciparum map2 has an essential function during sexual blood stage development.

Additional information
Disruption of the P. falciparum ortholog has been attempted (Solyakov et al., 2011, Nat Commun, 2:565).
The gene is likely essential for asexual proliferation as integration of the KO vector was not achieved. Accesibility of the locus to recombination was verified by C-terminal tagging.

Other mutants
Independent P. berghei map2- mutants (RMgm-62; RMgm-63) have been generated that also lacks MAP2 expression and also demonstrate a exflagellation and male gamete defect phenotype.