The gene has been targeted for gene deletion using a construct aimed at integration into the genome by double cross-over homologous recombination

The gene has been targeted for disruption in a 'kinome-wide' study for deletion of genes encoding Plasmodium protein kinases (protein kinase-like proteins).

See the paper for additional information on the analysis of the phenotype.

See also the paper by Dorin-Semblat D. et al. (2007, Mol Microbiol 65, 1170-1180) for  map-1 knock-out mutants in P. falciparum. Phenotype analyses of these mutants indicate that Pfmap-1, is required neither for in vitro schizogony and gametocytogenesis, nor for gametogenesis and sporogony in the mosquito vector.

Disruption of the P. falciparum ortholog has also been attempted bySolyakov et al. (2011, Nat Commun, 2:565). After transfection with a KO vector a strong PCR signal diagnostic for gene disruption was observed in transfected populations indicating that this gene is not essential for asexual proliferation.

The P. berghei mutant described here has been analysed in more detail for liver stage development by Wierk et al. (2013, PloS One, 8(3): e59755; PMID: 23544094). Development of mutant liver stages was not different from that of wild type liver stages. In the same study they analysed a P. berghei mutant expressing a GFP-tagged version of MAP1 (see RMgm-855) and observed the following: Live cell imaging of transgenic parasites expressing GFP-tagged PbMAPK1 revealed a nuclear localization of PbMAPK1 in the early schizont stage mediated by nuclear localization signals in the C-terminal domain.