Less Lipid, More Commitment

Abstract

Sexual differentiation of the malaria parasite is a pre-requisite for transmission from humans to the mosquito vector and has emerged as a target for intervention in eradication efforts. In this issue of Cell, a study from Marti, Clardy, and colleagues (Brancucci et al., 2017) describes a host-derived lipid lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC) that regulates sexual commitment.