Journal article
Mitochondrial drug targets in apicomplexan parasites
Current drug targets, v 8(1)
Jan 2007
PMID: 17266530
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
In evolutionary terms, mitochondria in apicomplexan parasites appear to be "relicts-in-the-making": they possess the smallest mitochondrial genomes known, encoding only three proteins, and in one genus, Cryptosporidium, the genome is eliminated altogether. Several features of mitochondrial physiology provide validated or potential targets for antiparasitic drugs. Atovaquone, a broad spectrum antiparasitic drug, selectively inhibits mitochondrial electron transport at the cytochrome bc(1) complex and collapses mitochondrial membrane potential. Recent investigations using model systems provide important insights into the mechanism of action for this drug, which may prove valuable for development of other selective inhibitors of mitochondrial electron transport. Although mitochondria do not appear to be a source of ATP during the erythrocytic stages in Plasmodium species, they do serve other critical functions, including the assembly of iron-sulfur clusters and various other biosynthetic processes depending on the species. To serve these metabolic functions, parasites need to maintain the apparatus for mitochondrial genome replication, repair, recombination, transcription, and translation, components of which are encoded in the nucleus and imported into the mitochondrion. Several unusual aspects of the components of this apparatus are coming to light through genome sequence analyses, and could provide potential targets for antiparasitic drug discovery and development.
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Details
- Title
- Mitochondrial drug targets in apicomplexan parasites
- Creators
- Michael W Mather - Center for Molecular Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129, USAKarl W HenryAkhil B Vaidya
- Publication Details
- Current drug targets, v 8(1)
- Publisher
- Bentham; United Arab Emirates
- Grant note
- AI05093 / NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI028398 / NIAID NIH HHS AI028398 / NIAID NIH HHS AI053148 / NIAID NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000243632600005
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-33845968856
- Other Identifier
- 991014878147204721
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Pharmacology & Pharmacy