Fig. 3

Structural model of the PfVIT cytoplasmic metal binding domain. a Structural alignment of the PfVIT cytoplasmic MBD structural model (coloured grey) with the crystal structure (PDB ID: 6IU9) [31] of plant VIT1 MBD (coloured red). Bound ferrous cation is represented as an orange sphere. b Structural model of the PfVIT MBD substrate binding site. The side chains of the amino acid residues that form the putative binding site are represented as sticks with oxygen atoms coloured red and sulphur atoms yellow. The coordinated Fe²⁺ cation is represented as an orange sphere