Calcium metabolism in malaria-infected erythrocytes.

Changes in the concentration of free calcium regulate many intracellular metabolic pathways and other important aspects of cellular function. The erythrocyte maintains intracellular calcium concentrations within a narrow range, but infection by malarial parasites disrupts these homeostatic mechanisms. The observation that infected erythrocytes have supranormal concentrations of calcium raises questions about the storage and functions of calcium ions within parasites. These are addressed in the following review by Sanjeev Krishna and Laura Squire-Pollard.