{"gene":"PF3D7_0807300","run_date":"2026-09-08T19:44:17","timeline":{"discoveries":[{"year":2003,"finding":"RAB18 (PF3D7_0807300) is one of 11 Rab GTPase genes in P. falciparum, and is transcribed in infected erythrocytes. Bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses placed it within the P. falciparum Rab family, but no subcellular localization or functional experiment was performed specifically on RAB18 in this study.","method":"RT-PCR transcription testing; bioinformatic/phylogenetic analysis","journal":"Gene","confidence":"Low","confidence_rationale":"Tier 4 / Weak — transcription confirmed by RT-PCR but no direct functional or localization experiment performed on RAB18 itself; mechanistic inference is entirely bioinformatic","pmids":["12657463"],"is_preprint":false,"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]},{"year":2016,"finding":"A GFP-RAB18 fusion protein expressed in P. falciparum schizonts produces a diffuse fluorescence pattern close to the nucleus, distinct from the punctate rhoptry pattern of GFP-PfRab1A. Attempts to create a dominant-negative RAB18 S24N FKBP-tagged construct failed to yield transformants.","method":"Fluorescence microscopy of GFP-RAB18 fusion in transgenic P. falciparum; attempted dominant-negative mutagenesis (S24N)","journal":"PloS one","confidence":"Low","confidence_rationale":"Tier 3 / Weak — single localization experiment with overexpressed fusion protein, single lab, no functional follow-up specific to RAB18; dominant-negative attempt was negative","pmids":["27348424"],"is_preprint":false,"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]},{"year":2024,"finding":"In P. yoelii ookinetes, N-terminally Myc-tagged RAB18 (overexpressed from the p230p locus) shows a cytoplasmic distribution and does not co-localize with DHC3 at subpellicular microtubules, in contrast to Rab11A and Rab11B which co-localize with DHC3. Thus RAB18 is not part of the SPMT-dynein transport complex in ookinetes.","method":"IFA of N-terminally tagged RAB18 overexpressed in transgenic P. yoelii ookinetes; co-localization analysis with DHC3-6HA","journal":"Nature communications","confidence":"Low","confidence_rationale":"Tier 3 / Weak — single localization experiment using overexpressed (not endogenous) tagged protein; negative co-localization result; single study","pmids":["39366980"],"is_preprint":false,"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium yoelii","strain":""}]},{"year":2026,"finding":"RAB18 (PF3D7_0807300) was identified as an interacting partner of PfMyoF in P. falciparum via pull-down experiments, indicating RAB18 associates with a perinuclear membrane trafficking myosin motor.","method":"Pull-down/Co-IP identifying RAB18 as a PfMyoF-interacting protein","journal":"Communications biology","confidence":"Low","confidence_rationale":"Tier 3 / Weak — single pull-down experiment identifying RAB18 as a binding partner of PfMyoF; single lab, no reciprocal confirmation or functional follow-up specific to RAB18","pmids":["42141018"],"is_preprint":false,"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]},{"year":2008,"finding":"Comparative genomic analysis proposed that RAB18 may be involved in vesicular traffic to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM), based on the observation that Theileria and Babesia (which lack a PVM) also lack a RAB18 orthologue. This is an inference, not a direct experiment.","method":"Comparative genomics / reciprocal BLAST across Apicomplexa","journal":"Microbes and infection","confidence":"Low","confidence_rationale":"Tier 4 / Weak — purely computational/comparative genomic inference with no direct experimental validation of RAB18 function","pmids":["18468471"],"is_preprint":false,"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]}],"current_model":"PF3D7_0807300 (RAB18) is a transcribed Rab GTPase in P. falciparum that localises diffusely near the nucleus when overexpressed as a GFP fusion in schizonts, physically associates with the perinuclear myosin PfMyoF in pull-down experiments, and in P. yoelii ookinetes is cytoplasmic and distinct from the SPMT-dynein transport machinery; comparative genomics suggests a possible role in trafficking to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, but no direct functional mechanism has been experimentally established."},"narrative":{"mechanistic_narrative":"PF3D7_0807300 (RAB18) is one of eleven Rab GTPase genes in Plasmodium falciparum and is transcribed in infected erythrocytes, placing it within the parasite's Rab-family membrane-trafficking machinery [PMID:12657463]. When expressed as a GFP fusion in P. falciparum schizonts, RAB18 gives a diffuse perinuclear fluorescence pattern distinct from the punctate rhoptry localisation of PfRab1A, and attempts to generate a dominant-negative S24N variant failed to yield transformants [PMID:27348424]. Consistent with a perinuclear role, RAB18 was recovered as an interacting partner of the perinuclear membrane-trafficking myosin PfMyoF in pull-down experiments [PMID:42141018]. In P. yoelii ookinetes, overexpressed N-terminally tagged RAB18 is cytoplasmic and does not co-localise with the dynein heavy chain DHC3 at subpellicular microtubules, distinguishing it from Rab11A/Rab11B and excluding it from the SPMT-dynein transport complex [PMID:39366980]. A comparative-genomic inference links the presence of a RAB18 orthologue to organisms bearing a parasitophorous vacuole membrane, hinting at a possible role in PVM-directed traffic [PMID:18468471]. Beyond these localisation and association findings, no direct functional mechanism, GTPase-cycle regulator, or trafficking substrate has been experimentally established for RAB18 in the available corpus.","teleology":[{"year":2003,"claim":"Establishing whether RAB18 is an expressed member of the parasite Rab repertoire was the first step in defining it as a candidate trafficking regulator rather than a silent locus.","evidence":"RT-PCR transcription testing and phylogenetic analysis of the P. falciparum Rab family","pmids":["12657463"],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["No subcellular localisation or functional assay performed on RAB18 itself","Membership in the Rab family inferred bioinformatically, not biochemically","GTPase activity not demonstrated"],"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]},{"year":2008,"claim":"Comparative genomics addressed where RAB18 might act by correlating its phyletic distribution with the presence of a parasitophorous vacuole membrane, generating a testable hypothesis of PVM-directed traffic.","evidence":"Reciprocal BLAST across Apicomplexa noting loss of the RAB18 orthologue in PVM-lacking Theileria and Babesia","pmids":["18468471"],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["Purely computational inference with no experimental validation","No direct demonstration of RAB18 at or trafficking to the PVM"],"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]},{"year":2016,"claim":"Direct visualisation asked where RAB18 resides in the parasite, showing a diffuse perinuclear distribution distinct from other Rabs and suggesting an essential locus given the failed dominant-negative.","evidence":"Fluorescence microscopy of GFP-RAB18 in transgenic P. falciparum schizonts; attempted S24N dominant-negative mutagenesis","pmids":["27348424"],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["Overexpressed fusion protein, not endogenous tagging","Diffuse pattern not resolved to a specific organelle","Failed dominant-negative leaves essentiality unproven"],"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]},{"year":2024,"claim":"Co-localisation testing in ookinetes clarified which transport machinery RAB18 does NOT belong to, excluding it from the SPMT-dynein complex that recruits Rab11A/Rab11B.","evidence":"IFA of N-terminally tagged RAB18 overexpressed in P. yoelii ookinetes, compared against DHC3-6HA","pmids":["39366980"],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["Negative co-localisation result using overexpressed rather than endogenous protein","Cross-species (P. yoelii) finding may not transfer to P. falciparum","Positive functional partner not identified in this study"],"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium yoelii","strain":""}]},{"year":2026,"claim":"A pull-down began to define RAB18's physical partners, linking it to the perinuclear myosin PfMyoF and providing the first candidate mechanistic connection consistent with its perinuclear localisation.","evidence":"Pull-down/Co-IP identifying RAB18 as a PfMyoF-interacting protein in P. falciparum","pmids":["42141018"],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["Single pull-down without reciprocal confirmation","No functional consequence of the interaction demonstrated","Directionality and stoichiometry of the RAB18-PfMyoF association unknown"],"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]},{"year":null,"claim":"The core mechanism of RAB18 remains open: no GTPase-cycle regulators, effectors, cargo, or defined membrane compartment have been experimentally established, and its role in PVM-directed traffic is untested.","evidence":"No direct functional experiment in the available corpus","pmids":[],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["GTPase activity and nucleotide-cycle regulators (GEF/GAP) unidentified","No effector or cargo defined","Functional significance of the PfMyoF interaction and the proposed PVM role untested"],"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]}],"mechanism_profile":{"molecular_activity":[],"localization":[],"pathway":[],"complexes":[],"partners":["PFMYOF"],"other_free_text":["One of 11 P. falciparum Rab GTPase genes; transcribed in infected erythrocytes [#0]","GFP-RAB18 diffuse perinuclear pattern in schizonts, distinct from PfRab1A rhoptry localisation; S24N dominant-negative construct failed to yield transformants [#1]","Excluded from the SPMT-dynein transport complex in P. yoelii ookinetes (no DHC3 co-localisation, unlike Rab11A/Rab11B) [#2]","Comparative genomics correlates RAB18 orthologue presence with the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, hinting at a PVM-traffic role [#4]"]}},"prefetch_data":{},"corpus_meta":[{"pmid":"12657463","id":"PMC_12657463","title":"The Plasmodium falciparum family of Rab GTPases.","date":"2003","source":"Gene","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12657463","citation_count":74,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["curated_ref"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"42141018","id":"PMC_42141018","title":"Plasmodium falciparum PfMyoF contains a Rab-like tail domain and associates with perinuclear membrane trafficking proteins.","date":"2026","source":"Communications biology","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42141018","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["PfRAB18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"39366980","id":"","title":"A subpellicular microtubule dynein transport machinery regulates ookinete morphogenesis for mosquito transmission of Plasmodium yoelii.","date":"2024","source":"Nature communications","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39366980","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["RAB18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"27348424","id":"","title":"Plasmodium falciparum Rab1A Localizes to Rhoptries in Schizonts.","date":"2016","source":"PloS one","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27348424","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["RAB18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"22188458","id":"","title":"Construction of a Plasmodium falciparum Rab-interactome identifies CK1 and PKA as Rab-effector kinases in malaria parasites.","date":"2011","source":"Biology of the cell","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22188458","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["RAB18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"26136076","id":"","title":"Disruption of cellular homeostasis induces organelle stress and triggers apoptosis like cell-death pathways in malaria parasite.","date":"2015","source":"Cell death & disease","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26136076","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["RAB18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"18468471","id":"","title":"Comparative genomics of the Rab protein family in Apicomplexan parasites.","date":"2008","source":"Microbes and infection","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18468471","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["RAB18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"19023412","id":"","title":"A genetically hard-wired metabolic transcriptome in Plasmodium falciparum fails to mount protective responses to lethal antifolates.","date":"2008","source":"PLoS pathogens","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19023412","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["RAB18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"22873208","id":"","title":"Untangling the evolution of Rab G proteins: implications of a comprehensive genomic analysis.","date":"2012","source":"BMC biology","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22873208","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["RAB18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"22022256","id":"","title":"Thousands of rab GTPases for the cell biologist.","date":"2011","source":"PLoS computational biology","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22022256","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["RAB18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false}],"cost":{"stage1":{"model":"claude-sonnet-4-6","input_tokens":12836,"output_tokens":1430,"usd":0.029979,"stage1_stop_reason":"end_turn"},"stage2":{"model":"claude-opus-4-8","input_tokens":6365,"output_tokens":2794,"usd":0.050838,"stage2_stop_reason":"end_turn"},"total_usd":0.080817,"stage1_batch_id":"msgbatch_01SRp5hyRc82zNjddxyCCXGk","stage2_batch_id":"msgbatch_01K3BTmBazRo3pRrMvyaPMTY","note":"batch pricing = 50% of standard"},"stage1_raw":"```json\n{\n  \"discoveries\": [\n    {\n      \"year\": 2003,\n      \"finding\": \"RAB18 (PF3D7_0807300) is one of 11 Rab GTPase genes in P. falciparum, and is transcribed in infected erythrocytes. Bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses placed it within the P. falciparum Rab family, but no subcellular localization or functional experiment was performed specifically on RAB18 in this study.\",\n      \"method\": \"RT-PCR transcription testing; bioinformatic/phylogenetic analysis\",\n      \"journal\": \"Gene\",\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"confidence_rationale\": \"Tier 4 / Weak — transcription confirmed by RT-PCR but no direct functional or localization experiment performed on RAB18 itself; mechanistic inference is entirely bioinformatic\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"12657463\"],\n      \"is_preprint\": false,\n      \"attribution\": [{\"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\", \"strain\": \"\"}]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2016,\n      \"finding\": \"A GFP-RAB18 fusion protein expressed in P. falciparum schizonts produces a diffuse fluorescence pattern close to the nucleus, distinct from the punctate rhoptry pattern of GFP-PfRab1A. Attempts to create a dominant-negative RAB18 S24N FKBP-tagged construct failed to yield transformants.\",\n      \"method\": \"Fluorescence microscopy of GFP-RAB18 fusion in transgenic P. falciparum; attempted dominant-negative mutagenesis (S24N)\",\n      \"journal\": \"PloS one\",\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"confidence_rationale\": \"Tier 3 / Weak — single localization experiment with overexpressed fusion protein, single lab, no functional follow-up specific to RAB18; dominant-negative attempt was negative\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"27348424\"],\n      \"is_preprint\": false,\n      \"attribution\": [{\"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\", \"strain\": \"\"}]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2024,\n      \"finding\": \"In P. yoelii ookinetes, N-terminally Myc-tagged RAB18 (overexpressed from the p230p locus) shows a cytoplasmic distribution and does not co-localize with DHC3 at subpellicular microtubules, in contrast to Rab11A and Rab11B which co-localize with DHC3. Thus RAB18 is not part of the SPMT-dynein transport complex in ookinetes.\",\n      \"method\": \"IFA of N-terminally tagged RAB18 overexpressed in transgenic P. yoelii ookinetes; co-localization analysis with DHC3-6HA\",\n      \"journal\": \"Nature communications\",\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"confidence_rationale\": \"Tier 3 / Weak — single localization experiment using overexpressed (not endogenous) tagged protein; negative co-localization result; single study\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"39366980\"],\n      \"is_preprint\": false,\n      \"attribution\": [{\"species\": \"Plasmodium yoelii\", \"strain\": \"\"}]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2026,\n      \"finding\": \"RAB18 (PF3D7_0807300) was identified as an interacting partner of PfMyoF in P. falciparum via pull-down experiments, indicating RAB18 associates with a perinuclear membrane trafficking myosin motor.\",\n      \"method\": \"Pull-down/Co-IP identifying RAB18 as a PfMyoF-interacting protein\",\n      \"journal\": \"Communications biology\",\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"confidence_rationale\": \"Tier 3 / Weak — single pull-down experiment identifying RAB18 as a binding partner of PfMyoF; single lab, no reciprocal confirmation or functional follow-up specific to RAB18\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"42141018\"],\n      \"is_preprint\": false,\n      \"attribution\": [{\"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\", \"strain\": \"\"}]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2008,\n      \"finding\": \"Comparative genomic analysis proposed that RAB18 may be involved in vesicular traffic to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM), based on the observation that Theileria and Babesia (which lack a PVM) also lack a RAB18 orthologue. This is an inference, not a direct experiment.\",\n      \"method\": \"Comparative genomics / reciprocal BLAST across Apicomplexa\",\n      \"journal\": \"Microbes and infection\",\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"confidence_rationale\": \"Tier 4 / Weak — purely computational/comparative genomic inference with no direct experimental validation of RAB18 function\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"18468471\"],\n      \"is_preprint\": false,\n      \"attribution\": [{\"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\", \"strain\": \"\"}]\n    }\n  ],\n  \"current_model\": \"PF3D7_0807300 (RAB18) is a transcribed Rab GTPase in P. falciparum that localises diffusely near the nucleus when overexpressed as a GFP fusion in schizonts, physically associates with the perinuclear myosin PfMyoF in pull-down experiments, and in P. yoelii ookinetes is cytoplasmic and distinct from the SPMT-dynein transport machinery; comparative genomics suggests a possible role in trafficking to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, but no direct functional mechanism has been experimentally established.\"\n}\n```","stage2_raw":"{\n  \"mechanistic_narrative\": \"PF3D7_0807300 (RAB18) is one of eleven Rab GTPase genes in Plasmodium falciparum and is transcribed in infected erythrocytes, placing it within the parasite's Rab-family membrane-trafficking machinery [#0]. When expressed as a GFP fusion in P. falciparum schizonts, RAB18 gives a diffuse perinuclear fluorescence pattern distinct from the punctate rhoptry localisation of PfRab1A, and attempts to generate a dominant-negative S24N variant failed to yield transformants [#1]. Consistent with a perinuclear role, RAB18 was recovered as an interacting partner of the perinuclear membrane-trafficking myosin PfMyoF in pull-down experiments [#3]. In P. yoelii ookinetes, overexpressed N-terminally tagged RAB18 is cytoplasmic and does not co-localise with the dynein heavy chain DHC3 at subpellicular microtubules, distinguishing it from Rab11A/Rab11B and excluding it from the SPMT-dynein transport complex [#2]. A comparative-genomic inference links the presence of a RAB18 orthologue to organisms bearing a parasitophorous vacuole membrane, hinting at a possible role in PVM-directed traffic [#4]. Beyond these localisation and association findings, no direct functional mechanism, GTPase-cycle regulator, or trafficking substrate has been experimentally established for RAB18 in the available corpus.\",\n  \"teleology\": [\n    {\n      \"year\": 2003,\n      \"claim\": \"Establishing whether RAB18 is an expressed member of the parasite Rab repertoire was the first step in defining it as a candidate trafficking regulator rather than a silent locus.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"RT-PCR transcription testing and phylogenetic analysis of the P. falciparum Rab family\",\n      \"pmids\": [\n        \"12657463\"\n      ],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"No subcellular localisation or functional assay performed on RAB18 itself\",\n        \"Membership in the Rab family inferred bioinformatically, not biochemically\",\n        \"GTPase activity not demonstrated\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\n          \"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\",\n          \"strain\": \"\"\n        }\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2008,\n      \"claim\": \"Comparative genomics addressed where RAB18 might act by correlating its phyletic distribution with the presence of a parasitophorous vacuole membrane, generating a testable hypothesis of PVM-directed traffic.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"Reciprocal BLAST across Apicomplexa noting loss of the RAB18 orthologue in PVM-lacking Theileria and Babesia\",\n      \"pmids\": [\n        \"18468471\"\n      ],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"Purely computational inference with no experimental validation\",\n        \"No direct demonstration of RAB18 at or trafficking to the PVM\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\n          \"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\",\n          \"strain\": \"\"\n        }\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2016,\n      \"claim\": \"Direct visualisation asked where RAB18 resides in the parasite, showing a diffuse perinuclear distribution distinct from other Rabs and suggesting an essential locus given the failed dominant-negative.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"Fluorescence microscopy of GFP-RAB18 in transgenic P. falciparum schizonts; attempted S24N dominant-negative mutagenesis\",\n      \"pmids\": [\n        \"27348424\"\n      ],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"Overexpressed fusion protein, not endogenous tagging\",\n        \"Diffuse pattern not resolved to a specific organelle\",\n        \"Failed dominant-negative leaves essentiality unproven\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\n          \"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\",\n          \"strain\": \"\"\n        }\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2024,\n      \"claim\": \"Co-localisation testing in ookinetes clarified which transport machinery RAB18 does NOT belong to, excluding it from the SPMT-dynein complex that recruits Rab11A/Rab11B.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"IFA of N-terminally tagged RAB18 overexpressed in P. yoelii ookinetes, compared against DHC3-6HA\",\n      \"pmids\": [\n        \"39366980\"\n      ],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"Negative co-localisation result using overexpressed rather than endogenous protein\",\n        \"Cross-species (P. yoelii) finding may not transfer to P. falciparum\",\n        \"Positive functional partner not identified in this study\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\n          \"species\": \"Plasmodium yoelii\",\n          \"strain\": \"\"\n        }\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2026,\n      \"claim\": \"A pull-down began to define RAB18's physical partners, linking it to the perinuclear myosin PfMyoF and providing the first candidate mechanistic connection consistent with its perinuclear localisation.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"Pull-down/Co-IP identifying RAB18 as a PfMyoF-interacting protein in P. falciparum\",\n      \"pmids\": [\n        \"42141018\"\n      ],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"Single pull-down without reciprocal confirmation\",\n        \"No functional consequence of the interaction demonstrated\",\n        \"Directionality and stoichiometry of the RAB18-PfMyoF association unknown\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\n          \"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\",\n          \"strain\": \"\"\n        }\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": null,\n      \"claim\": \"The core mechanism of RAB18 remains open: no GTPase-cycle regulators, effectors, cargo, or defined membrane compartment have been experimentally established, and its role in PVM-directed traffic is untested.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"No direct functional experiment in the available corpus\",\n      \"pmids\": [],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"GTPase activity and nucleotide-cycle regulators (GEF/GAP) unidentified\",\n        \"No effector or cargo defined\",\n        \"Functional significance of the PfMyoF interaction and the proposed PVM role untested\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\n          \"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\",\n          \"strain\": \"\"\n        }\n      ]\n    }\n  ],\n  \"mechanism_profile\": {\n    \"molecular_activity\": [\n      {\n        \"term_id\": \"GO:0003924\",\n        \"supporting_discovery_ids\": [\n          0\n        ]\n      }\n    ],\n    \"localization\": [\n      {\n        \"term_id\": \"GO:0048471\",\n        \"supporting_discovery_ids\": [\n          1\n        ]\n      },\n      {\n        \"term_id\": \"GO:0005737\",\n        \"supporting_discovery_ids\": [\n          2\n        ]\n      }\n    ],\n    \"pathway\": [\n      {\n        \"term_id\": \"GO:0016192\",\n        \"supporting_discovery_ids\": [\n          0,\n          4\n        ]\n      }\n    ],\n    \"complexes\": [],\n    \"partners\": [\n      \"PfMyoF\"\n    ],\n    \"other_free_text\": [\n      \"One of 11 P. falciparum Rab GTPase genes; transcribed in infected erythrocytes [#0]\",\n      \"GFP-RAB18 diffuse perinuclear pattern in schizonts, distinct from PfRab1A rhoptry localisation; S24N dominant-negative construct failed to yield transformants [#1]\",\n      \"Excluded from the SPMT-dynein transport complex in P. yoelii ookinetes (no DHC3 co-localisation, unlike Rab11A/Rab11B) [#2]\",\n      \"Comparative genomics correlates RAB18 orthologue presence with the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, hinting at a PVM-traffic role [#4]\"\n    ]\n  }\n}","audit_flag":null,"strains":[{"strain":"Pf3D7","gene_id":"PF3D7_0807300","name":null,"product":"ras-related protein Rab-18","uniprot_acc":null,"chromosome":null,"start_pos":null},{"strain":"PbANKA","gene_id":"PBANKA_1223300","name":null,"product":"ras-related protein Rab-18, putative","uniprot_acc":null,"chromosome":null,"start_pos":null},{"strain":"PkH","gene_id":"PKNH_0111500","name":null,"product":"ras-related protein Rab-18, putative","uniprot_acc":null,"chromosome":null,"start_pos":null}],"gene_symbol":"RAB18","evaluation":null}