The shikimate pathway enzyme that generates chorismate is not required for the development of Plasmodium berghei in the mammalian host nor the mosquito vector.

In Plasmodium , the shikimate pathway is a potential target for malaria chemotherapy owing to its absence in the mammalian host. Chorismate, the end product of this pathway, serves as a precursor for aromatic amino acids, Para-aminobenzoic acid and ubiquinone, and is synthesised by Chorismate synthase (CS). Therefore, it follows that the Cs locus may be refractory to genetic manipulation. By utilising a conditional mutagenesis system of yeast Flp/FRT, we demonstrate an unexpectedly dispensable role of CS in Plasmodium . Our studies reiterate the need to establish an obligate reliance on Plasmodium metabolic enzymes through genetic approaches before their selection as drug targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]