DNA gyrase in plants and plasmodial parasites

DNA拓扑异构酶VI是一种最初在古细菌中发现的酶，但最近在植物（拟南芥）和疟疾寄生虫（恶性疟原虫）中发现了更多。人们对这种酶知之甚少，但它在植物生长发育和疟原虫生命周期中起着关键作用。我们将对这种酶进行特征描述，首先从古甲烷酵母中提取，并进一步了解它催化的反应。然后，我们将从拟虫和恶性疟原虫中表征topo VI酶，并研究它们在植物和疟原虫中的作用。我们将继续开发酶的抑制剂，特别是我们的目标是筛选化合物库并研究发现抑制酶的化合物的作用机制。

DNA topoisomerase VI is an enzyme that was originally discovered in archaea but has more recently been found in plants (Arabidopsis thaliana) and malaria parasites (Plasmodium falciparum). Rather little is known about this enzyme but it has key roles in plant growth and development and in the plasmodium life cycle. We will characterise this enzyme, initially from the archeon Methanosarcina mazei, and learn more about the reactions that it catalyses. We will then characterise topo VI enzymes from A. thaliana and P. falciparum and investigate their role in plants and plasmodia. We will go on to develop inhibitors of the enzyme, specifically we aim to screen libraries of compounds and investigate the mechanism of action of compounds that are found to inhibit the enzyme.