Fig. 3: FRM2-GFP locates with actin and tubulin at the ends of the developing gametocytes.

a Live-cell microscopy of stage II–V FRM2-GFP (green) gametocytes co-stained with BODIPY-TR-Ceramide (Bodipy, red). Arrows indicate the distinct puncta at the periphery of early-stage gametocytes and at the tips of the stage IV gametocyte. Scale bars = 5 µm. Dotted white line outlines the zoom panel. Zoom scale bar = 1 µm. b Immunofluorescence microscopy of stage IV gametocytes triple-labelled with anti-GFP (green), anti-actin (red), anti-β-tubulin (magenta) and DAPI (blue). Gametocytes were incubated with DMSO (Control) and Jasplakinolide (Jas). Scale bars = 5 μm. c 3D-structured illumination microscopy of stage IV gametocytes labelled with anti-GFP (grey), anti-actin (green) and anti-β-tubulin (red). Imaging was performed on Jas-treated parasites. Merged images of FRM2-GFP/actin, FRM2-GFP/β-tubulin and all three channels are shown. Zoomed images of the gametocyte tip showing each individual channel and different combinations of the three together. Scale bar = 5 μm. Zoom scale bar = 1 μm. Red dotted lines in (b) indicate the lines used for the fluorescence intensity plots of each channel shown in Supplementary Fig. 4a. Additional examples can be found in Supplementary Fig. 4.