Malaria Parasite Proteins and Their Role in Alteration of the Structure and Function of Red Blood Cells.

Autor: Proellocks NI; Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, VIC, Australia., Coppel RL; Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, VIC, Australia., Mohandas N; New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA., Cooke BM; Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, VIC, Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Advances in parasitology [Adv Parasitol] 2016; Vol. 91, pp. 1-86. Date of Electronic Publication: 2015 Dec 14.
DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2015.09.002
Abstrakt: Malaria, caused by Plasmodium spp., continues to be a major threat to human health and a significant cause of socioeconomic hardship in many countries. Almost half of the world's population live in malaria-endemic regions and many of them suffer one or more, often life-threatening episodes of malaria every year, the symptoms of which are attributable to replication of the parasite within red blood cells (RBCs). In the case of Plasmodium falciparum, the species responsible for most malaria-related deaths, parasite replication within RBCs is accompanied by striking alterations to the morphological, biochemical and biophysical properties of the host cell that are essential for the parasites' survival. To achieve this, the parasite establishes a unique and extensive protein export network in the infected RBC, dedicating at least 6% of its genome to the process. Understanding the full gamut of proteins involved in this process and the mechanisms by which P. falciparum alters the structure and function of RBCs is important both for a more complete understanding of the pathogenesis of malaria and for development of new therapeutic strategies to prevent or treat this devastating disease. This review focuses on what is currently known about exported parasite proteins, their interactions with the RBC and their likely pathophysiological consequences.
(Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE