Fröhlich et al. show that membrane protrusions of malaria parasite-infected blood cells reduce their membrane fluctuation due to the enforced coupling of membrane and cytoskeleton. Differential cellular mechanics of blood cells possessing variant hemoglobins that protect people from malaria suggests that oxidative stress may explain the selective advantage of certain hemoglobin variants.
- Benjamin Fröhlich
- Julia Jäger
- Motomu Tanaka