Figure 9

Proposed model of interaction between P. berghei sporogonic stages and An. stephensi laminin. A) Ookinetes (ook) are coated with laminin produced by midgut epithelial cells when they migrate through these cells as they disrupt membranes of the secretory machinery during migration. B) This enables them to mask themselves from the immune system when they reach the basal lamina and begin transformation via a took stage (too). C) The basal lamina is stretched by the developing oocysts (ooc) and laminin is replaced beneath the oocysts by production in the midgut cells. Haemocytes may also contribute to the midgut BL.