The putative gene ofPlasmodium vivaxserine hydroxymethyltransferase (PvSHMT; EC ) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified enzyme was shown to be a dimeric protein with a monomeric molecular mass of 49 kDa. PvSHMT has a maximum absorption peak at 422 nm with a molar absorption coefficient of 6370m )1 Æcm )1 . The Kd for binding of the enzyme and pyridoxal-5-phosphate was ± .