Mislocalization of Rab5 proteins by fosmidomycin treatment. (A and B) Confocal immunofluorescence with either anti-PfRab5a (A) or anti-PfRab5c (B) antibody in untreated parasites (control) compared to fosmidomycin-treated (FSM) and fosmidomycin- and geranylgeraniol-treated (FSM GG-ol) parasites. FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate. protein prenylation is typically required for the localization and function of small GTPases, such as Rab5. Pf-Rab5a and Pf-Rab5c were dispersed in punctae throughout malaria parasite cells . Upon fosmidomycin treatment, a dramatic mislocalization of Rab5a occurred in the majority of treated cells, such that Rab5a was no longer present within the parasite cell but instead was found at the membrane of the host erythrocyte. Similarly, fosmidomycin treatment mislocalized Rab5c, which became diffusely localized throughout both the parasite cell and the host erythrocyte cytoplasm.Howe R, Kelly M, Jimah J, Hodge D, Odom AR. Isoprenoid biosynthesis inhibition disrupts Rab5 localization and food vacuolar integrity in Plasmodium falciparum. Eukaryot Cell. 2013 Feb;12(2):215-23. PMID: