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The Plasmodium falciparum Maurer's clefts in 3D

In 1902, the German physician Georg Maurer discovered a dotted staining pattern within the cytoplasm of Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes that, according to the tradition at the time, was named in his honour. The significance of Georg Maurer's discovery remained unrecognized for almost a century. Only recently are Maurer's clefts appreciated as a novel type of secretory organelle. Established by the malaria parasite within its host cell, Maurer's clefts play an essential role in directing proteins from the parasite to the erythrocyte surface. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Hanssen et al. report on the three dimensional structure of Maurer's clefts, as determined by electron tomography. The data presented suggest that Maurer's clefts are connected to both the parasitophorous vacuolar and the erythrocyte plasma membrane, however, no continuum exists that would allow lipids or proteins to freely flow between these three compartments. This seminal work, which stands in the tradition of Georg Maurer's original discovery, represents a milestone in our understanding of the structure and function of this fascinating organelle.