STEVOR--a multifunctional protein?

The stevor multigene family is the third largest identified in Plasmodium falciparum. Its members have the potential to be involved in antigenic variation and virulence by analogy with the var and rif multigene families. This review highlights recent studies of stevor transcription and expression which show that stevor is distinct from both the var and rif multigene families. STEVOR is expressed during several stages of the lifecycle, and thus may contribute significantly to the long term survival of the parasite.