Editorial Material
Parasitology
Kwesi Z. Tandoh, Collins M. Moranga, Michael Wilson, Neils B. Quashie, Nancy O. Duah-Quashie
Summary: Plasmodium falciparum, the cause of malaria, is developing resistance to artemisinin, a drug used to treat malaria, which threatens the effectiveness of malaria control. The development of artemisinin resistance may involve the role of extracellular vesicles in increasing oxidative stress tolerance and reducing the trafficking of hemoglobin to the food vacuole.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Prakhar Agrawal, Surekha Kumari, Asif Mohmmed, Pawan Malhotra, Upendra Sharma, Dinkar Sahal
Summary: This study identified eight compounds with promising binding affinity and antiparasitic efficacy against Plasmodium parasites. Two of these compounds showed significant suppression of parasitemia in a mouse model of malaria.
Review
Microbiology
William J. O'Shaughnessy, Pravin S. Dewangan, E. Ariana Paiz, Michael L. Reese
Summary: Reversible phosphorylation by protein kinases is one of the core mechanisms by which biological signals are propagated and processed. The MAPK signaling in apicomplexan parasites lacks the canonical kinase cascade, requiring a distinct mechanism for regulation. The challenges in elucidating the complete MAPK signaling networks in these parasites are discussed.
Article
Microbiology
Manon Loubens, Carine Marinach, Clara-Eva Paquereau, Soumia Hamada, Benedicte Hoareau-Coudert, David Akbar, Jean-Francois Franetich, Olivier Silvie
Summary: The authors characterized a protein called CLAMP, which was found to play an essential role in invasive stages of the malaria parasite and could be a potential target for transmission-blocking antimalarial strategies.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Dewu Bi, Xiaodong Huang, Lu Lin, Xike Tang, Yuexi Lu, Zhenxu Lan, Shunda Luo, Jianyan Lin, Xiaocheng Luo
Summary: Objective Microscopy was used to investigate platelet-Plasmodium-infected erythrocyte interactions in malaria patients. The study found that platelets directly attached to parasitized erythrocytes and played a role in parasite killing. Platelet counts were inversely correlated with parasitaemia and parasite clearance duration. Artemisinin combination therapy was more effective in clearing Plasmodium in patients with thrombocytopenia.
ANNALS OF MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jan Stephan Wichers, Carolina van Gelder, Gwendolin Fuchs, Julia Mareike Ruge, Emma Pietsch, Josie L. Ferreira, Soraya Safavi, Heidrun von Thien, Paul-Christian Burda, Paolo Mesen-Ramirez, Tobias Spielmann, Jan Strauss, Tim-Wolf Gilberger, Anna Bachmann
Summary: Malaria parasites replicate within red blood cells and rely on the active uptake of nutrients, such as amino acids, from the host cell and surrounding environment through different membranes. A family of amino acid transporters called ApiATs in Plasmodium falciparum show partial redundancy during asexual parasite proliferation and full redundancy during gametocytogenesis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pooja Kesari, Anuradha Deshmukh, Nikhil Pahelkar, Abhishek B. Suryawanshi, Ishan Rathore, Vandana Mishra, John H. Dupuis, Huogen Xiao, Alla Gustchina, Jan Abendroth, Mehdi Labaied, Rickey Y. Yada, Alexander Wlodawer, Thomas E. Edwards, Donald D. Lorimer, Prasenjit Bhaumik
Summary: Plasmodium falciparum plasmepsin X (PfPMX), an essential protein for the survival of the deadliest malaria parasite, has been identified as a potential drug target. The crystal structure of PfPMX zymogen, which contains a novel fold of its prosegment, has been determined for the first time. The study provides insights into the inactivation, maturation, and inhibition of PfPMX, which could aid in the development of potent inhibitors against similar proteases from apicomplexan parasites.
Article
Immunology
Naoyuki Fukuda, Betty Balikagala, Tsuyoshi Ueno, Denis A. Anywar, Eisaku Kimura, Nirianne Marie Q. Palacpac, Emmanuel Odongo-Aginya, Martin Ogwang, Toshihiro Horii, Takashi Miida, Toshihiro Mita
Summary: The study found that mature Plasmodium falciparum parasites are rarely found in the peripheral blood because they are sequestered and attached to the endothelium. Intensive sequestration is associated with a delay in parasite clearance after artemisinin-based treatment. Sequestration plays an important role in the efficacy of artemisinin treatment for malaria.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Abdirahman Abdi, Fiona Achcar, Lauriane Sollelis, Joao Luiz Silva-Filho, Kioko Mwikali, Michelle Muthui, Shaban Mwangi, Hannah W. Kimingi, Benedict Orindi, Cheryl Andisi Kivisi, Manon Alkema, Amrita Chandrasekar, Peter C. Bull, Philip Bejon, Katarzyna Modrzynska, Teun Bousema, Matthias Marti
Summary: The malaria parasite life cycle involves asexual replication in human blood and differentiation into gametocytes for transmission to mosquitoes. Host factors influence the commitment to differentiate into gametocytes, but the exact mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed data from 828 children in Kenya over 18 years to understand the relationship between host immunity, parasite growth, and transmission investment. We found that reduced plasma lysophosphatidylcholine levels, which are associated with inflammatory responses, are correlated with increased transmission investment and reduced asexual replication.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Edwin G. Tse, Laksh Aithani, Mark Anderson, Jonathan Cardoso-Silva, Giovanni Cincilla, Gareth J. Conduit, Mykola Galushka, Davy Guan, Irene Hallyburton, Benedict W. J. Irwin, Kiaran Kirk, Adele M. Lehane, Julia C. R. Lindblom, Raymond Lui, Slade Matthews, James McCulloch, Alice Motion, Ho Leung Ng, Mario Oeren, Murray N. Robertson, Vito Spadavecchio, Vasileios A. Tatsis, Willem P. van Hoorn, Alexander D. Wade, Thomas M. Whitehead, Paul Willis, Matthew H. Todd
Summary: The research aims to develop compounds to kill the malaria parasite by targeting PfATP4. They organized a public competition, and the best models were used to predict and synthesize novel inhibitors with biological activity.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuliya Berson, Sofia Khaitlina, Olga Tsaplina
Summary: Cell membrane rafts are important in controlling protein-protein and lipid-protein interactions on the cell surface. Disrupting membrane rafts by M beta CD reduced the intensity of Serratia invasion. This reduction was more significant in M-HeLa cells and correlated with faster assembly of the actin cytoskeleton. Treatment with M beta CD increased the invasion of S. proteamaculans in Caco-2 cells and correlated with increased EGFR expression. Overall, this study highlights the role of membrane rafts in bacterial invasion and suggests that targeting rafts could be a potential strategy to reduce bacterial invasion.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Lu He, Yue Qiu, Geping Pang, Siqi Li, Jingjing Wang, Yonghui Feng, Lumeng Chen, Liying Zhu, Yinjie Liu, Liwang Cui, Yaming Cao, Xiaotong Zhu
Summary: Red blood cell invasion is important for the pathogenesis of malaria. Gliding motility powered by the glideosome is crucial for merozoite invasion. PfGAP40, an inner membrane complex (IMC)-resident protein, plays a critical role in stabilizing the expression levels of glideosome components and is required for efficient merozoite invasion. Phosphorylation of PfGAP40 at specific residues is also necessary for successful invasion.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Lekkala Ravindar, Siti Aishah Hasbullah, K. P. Rakesh, Nurul Izzaty Hassan
Summary: Malaria is a deadly parasitic infection ranked as the fifth most lethal worldwide. Antimalarial medications are crucial for preventing and eradicating malaria. The 4-aminoquinoline moiety has diverse biological applications and has been favored in antimalarial drug discovery. This review focuses on its efficacy when hybridized with various heterocyclic scaffolds, aiding the development of more effective antimalarial agents.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Julie M. J. Verhoef, Markus Meissner, Taco W. A. Kooij
Summary: Apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum replicate through different methods and require tightly coordinated organelle division and distribution. While proper organelle segregation is crucial, the molecular mechanisms and key proteins involved are still largely unknown.
Article
Parasitology
Koketso S. P. Mogwera, Kelly Chibale, Lauren B. Arendse
Summary: The protein and phosphoinositide kinase gene families are highly druggable and essential in cellular life, providing potential targets for pharmacological modulation in various diseases. However, targeting kinases comes with challenges of selectivity and acquired resistance. The success of a kinase inhibitor in malaria treatment shows the potential benefits of Plasmodium kinase inhibitors and the opportunity for reducing resistance through designed polypharmacology.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2023)
