Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license.
Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat.
We can research this topic together.
EMP3 refers to "Erythrocyte membrane protein 3." It is likely a misnomer, as no reported PfEMP3 sequences contain this domain. PfEMP3 is arranged next to KAHRP in the P. falciparum genome, a probable cause of misidentification.
KAHRP (knob-associated histidine-rich protein) is a protein expressed by Plasmodium falciparum infecting erythrocytes. KAHRP is a major component of knobs, feature found on Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes.
It has been suggested that KAHRP may play a role in trafficking or docking PfEMP1, major malarial cytoadherence protein to the erythrocyte membrane; however, these findings were disputed by recent NMR and fluorescence anisotropy studies showing no interaction between PfEMP1 and KAHRP.
Instead, KAHRP was shown to interact with Ankyrin, more precisely the D3 subunit of the Membrane-binding domain of Ankyrin type 1. This interaction was suggested via SPR, ELISA, and Pulldown studies, however, it has not been confirmed by NMR, ITC, crystallography, or fluorescence anisotropy.
References
Maier AG, Cooke BM, Cowman AF, Tilley L (May 2009). "Malaria parasite proteins that remodel the host erythrocyte". Nature Reviews. Microbiology. 7 (5): 341–54. doi:10.1038/nrmicro2110. PMID19369950. S2CID30624448.
