Plastid-to-nucleus signalling in Plasmodium

疟原虫中质体到细胞核的信号传导

• 批准号: BB/E004393/1
• 负责人: Christopher Howe
• 金额: $ 12.76万
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2006 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FE004393%2F1
• 关键词: Plastid; nucleus; signalling; Plasmodium

Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite. Very surprisingly, the ancestors of this parasite (and related ones like Toxoplasma, which can also cause disease) were photosynthetic. Like plants and algae, their cells contained chloroplasts, the site of photosynthesis. Although Plasmodium is no longer photosynthetic, it still has the remains of the chloroplast, called the apicoplast, and this is essential for the parasite to live. Many drugs for malaria, such as clindamycin, work by interfering with the the Plasmodium chloroplast. Many of the proteins in the chloroplast are made elsewhere in the cell, from genes present in the nucleus, and imported into the chloroplast after they have been made. We believe that the chloroplast can send a signal to tell the nucleus when it needs these proteins, and we want to test this idea. We know that something similar happens with the chloroplasts of plants and algae, so we know how to test it with Plasmodium. If we can show this signalling happens, we can start to understand how to interfere with it - and this may lead to new drugs for treating malaria.

疟疾是由单细胞寄生虫引起的。非常令人惊讶的是，这种寄生虫的祖先（以及与之相关的弓形虫，也会导致疾病）是光合作用的。像植物和藻类一样，它们的细胞含有叶绿体，这是光合作用的场所。虽然疟原虫不再进行光合作用，但它仍然有叶绿体的残余，称为顶质体，这是寄生虫生存所必需的。许多治疗疟疾的药物，如克林霉素，是通过干扰疟原虫叶绿体起作用的。叶绿体中的许多蛋白质是在细胞的其他地方由细胞核中的基因合成的，并在合成后输入到叶绿体中。我们相信叶绿体可以发送一个信号，告诉细胞核什么时候需要这些蛋白质，我们想测试这个想法。我们知道植物和藻类的叶绿体也会发生类似的事情，所以我们知道如何用疟原虫进行测试。如果我们能够证明这种信号的发生，我们就可以开始了解如何干扰它——这可能会导致治疗疟疾的新药。

项目成果

Transcript level responses of Plasmodium falciparum to antimycin A.

• DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2012.01.003
• 发表时间: 2012-09
• 期刊: Protist
• 影响因子: 2.5
• 作者: Tarr SJ;Nisbet RE;Howe CJ
• 通讯作者: Howe CJ