| Title | Plasmodium falciparum apicoplast and its transcriptional regulation through calcium signaling |
|---|---|
| Author | Praveen Rai, Drista Sharma, Rani Soni, Nazia Khatoon, Bhaskar Sharma, and Tarun Kumar Bhatt* |
| Address | School of Life Science, Department of Biotechnology, Central University of Rajasthan, BandarSindri, Ajmer, Rajasthan, 305817, India |
| Bibliography | Journal of Microbiology, 55(4),231-236, 2017, |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12275-017-6525-1 |
| Key Words | malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, apicoplast, cal-cium signaling, transcription regulation |
| Abstract | Malaria has been present since ancient time and remains a major global health problem in developing countries. Plas-modium falciparum belongs to the phylum Apicomplexan, largely contain disease-causing parasites and characterized by the presence of apicoplast. It is a very essential organelle of P. falciparum responsible for the synthesis of key mole-cules required for the growth of the parasite. Indispensable nature of apicoplast makes it a potential drug target. Calcium signaling is important in the establishment of malaria para-site inside the host. It has been involved in invasion and egress of merozoites during the asexual life cycle of the parasite. Calcium signaling also regulates apicoplast metabolism. There-fore, in this review, we will focus on the role of apicoplast in malaria biology and its metabolic regulation through Ca++ signaling. |