this book discusses in detail the structural, evolutionary and functional role of actin and its regulatory proteins in gliding motility in apicomplexan organisms, a unique phenomenon found in actin-myosin cytoskeletal elements. the book also explores the potential of different actin regulators, namely formin, profilin, actin depolymerization factor (adf), capping proteins (cpα and cpβ), cyclase-associated protein (cap) and coronin 13–24 as potential drug targets against malaria. as the chief components of the gliding motor, the actin-regulator proteins are characterized by unique features that make them promising targets for structure-based drug design. lastly, the book proposes a mathematical model, based on kinetic data mining, to help understand the most vital regulators for actin polymerization dynamics.