Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024530 (malaria)
 44,886 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The mechanism by which the intra-erythrocytic form of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, extrudes H(+) ions and thereby regulates its cytosolic pH (pH(i)), was investigated using saponin-permeabilized parasitized erythrocytes. The parasite was able both to maintain its resting pH(i) and to recover from an imposed intracellular acidification in the absence of extracellular Na(+), thus ruling out the involvement of a Na(+)/H(+) exchanger in both processes. Both phenomena were ATP-dependent. Amiloride and the related compound ethylisopropylamiloride caused a substantial reduction in the resting pH(i) of the parasite, whereas EMD 96785, a potent and allegedly selective inhibitor of Na(+)/H(+) exchange, had relatively little effect. The resting pH(i) of the parasite was also reduced by the sulfhydryl reagent N-ethylmaleimide, by the carboxyl group blocker N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and by bafilomycin A(1), a potent inhibitor of V-type H(+)-ATPases. Bafilomycin A(1) blocked pH(i) recovery in parasites subjected to an intracellular acidification and reduced the rate of acidification of a weakly buffered solution by parasites under resting conditions. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the malaria parasite, like other parasitic protozoa, has in its plasma membrane a V-type H(+)-ATPase, which serves as the major route for the efflux of H(+) ions.
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PMID:pH regulation in the intracellular malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. H(+) extrusion via a V-type H(+)-ATPase. 1055 94

Plasmodium berghei trophozoites were loaded with the fluorescent calcium indicator, fura-2 acetoxymethyl ester, to measure their intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). [Ca(2+)](i) was increased in the presence of the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor, thapsigargin. Trophozoites also possess a significant amount of Ca(2+) stored in an acidic compartment. This was indicated by: (1) the increase in [Ca(2+)](i) induced by bafilomycin A(1), nigericin, monensin, or the weak base, NH(4)Cl, in the nominal absence of extracellular Ca(2+), and (2) the effect of ionomycin, which cannot take Ca(2+) out of acidic organelles and was more effective after alkalinization of this compartment by addition of bafilomycin A(1), nigericin, monensin, or NH(4)Cl. Inorganic PP(i) promoted the acidification of a subcellular compartment in cell homogenates of trophozoites. The proton gradient driven by PP(i) collapsed by addition of the K(+)/H(+) exchanger, nigericin, and eliminated by the PP(i) analogue, aminomethylenediphosphonate (AMDP). Both PP(i) hydrolysis and proton transport were dependent upon K(+), and Na(+) caused partial inhibition of these activities. PP(i) hydrolysis was sensitive in a dose-dependent manner to AMDP, imidodiphosphate, sodium fluoride, dicyclohexylcarbodi-imide and to the thiol reagent, N-ethylmaleimide. Immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies raised against conserved peptide sequences of a plant vacuolar pyrophosphatase (V-H(+)-PPase) suggested that the proton pyrophosphatase is located in intracellular vacuoles and the plasma membrane of trophozoites. AMDP caused an increase in [Ca(2+)](i) in the nominal absence of extracellular Ca(2+). Ionomycin was more effective in releasing Ca(2+) from this acidic intracellular compartment after treatment of the cells with AMDP. Taken together, these results suggest the presence in malaria parasites of acidocalcisomes with similar characteristics to those described in trypanosomatids and Toxoplasma gondii, and the colocalization of the V-H(+)-PPase and V-H(+)-ATPase in these organelles.
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PMID:Acidocalcisomes and a vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase in malaria parasites. 1072 25

Recent biochemical studies involving 2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5, 6-carboxylfluorescein (BCECF)-labeled saponin-permeabilized and parasitized erythrocytes indicated that malaria parasite cells maintain the resting cytoplasmic pH at about 7.3, and treatment with vacuolar proton-pump inhibitors reduces the resting pH to 6.7, suggesting proton extrusion from the parasite cells via vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (Saliba, K. J., and Kirk, K. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 33213-33219). In the present study, we investigated the localization of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase in Plasmodium falciparum cells infecting erythrocytes. Antibodies against vacuolar H(+)-ATPase subunit A and B specifically immunostained the infecting parasite cells and recognized a single 67- and 55-kDa polypeptide, respectively. Immunoelectron microscopy indicated that the immunological counterpart of V-ATPase subunits A and B is localized at the plasma membrane, small clear vesicles, and food vacuoles, a lower extent being detected at the parasitophorus vacuolar membrane of the parasite cells. We measured the cytoplasmic pH of both infected erythrocytes and invading malaria parasite cells by microfluorimetry using BCECF fluorescence. It was found that a restricted area of the erythrocyte cytoplasm near a parasite cell is slightly acidic, being about pH 6.9. The pH increased to pH 7.3 upon the addition of either concanamycin B or bafilomycin A(1), specific inhibitors of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase. Simultaneously, the cytoplasmic pH of the infecting parasite cell decreased from pH 7.3 to 7.1. Neither vanadate at 0.5 mm, an inhibitor of P-type H(+)-ATPase, nor ethylisopropylamiloride at 0.2 mm, an inhibitor of Na(+)/H(+)-exchanger, affected the cytoplasmic pH of erythrocytes or infecting parasite cells. These results constitute direct evidence that plasma membrane vacuolar H(+)-ATPase is responsible for active extrusion of protons from the parasite cells.
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PMID:Vacuolar H(+)-ATPase localized in plasma membranes of malaria parasite cells, Plasmodium falciparum, is involved in regional acidification of parasitized erythrocytes. 1091 84

Molecular studies of insect disease vectors are of paramount importance for understanding parasite-vector relationship. Advances in this area have led to important findings regarding changes in vectors' physiology upon blood feeding and parasite infection. Mechanisms for interfering with the vectorial capacity of insects responsible for the transmission of diseases such as malaria, Chagas disease and dengue fever are being devised with the ultimate goal of developing transgenic insects. A primary necessity for this goal is information on gene expression and control in the target insect. Our group is investigating molecular aspects of the interaction between Leishmania parasites and Lutzomyia sand flies. As an initial step in our studies we have used random sequencing of cDNA clones from two expression libraries made from head/thorax and abdomen of sugar fed L. longipalpis for the identification of expressed sequence tags (EST). We applied differential display reverse transcriptase-PCR and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR to characterize differentially expressed mRNA from sugar and blood fed insects, and, in one case, from a L. (V.) braziliensis-infected L. longipalpis. We identified 37 cDNAs that have shown homology to known sequences from GeneBank. Of these, 32 cDNAs code for constitutive proteins such as zinc finger protein, glutamine synthetase, G binding protein, ubiquitin conjugating enzyme. Three are putative differentially expressed cDNAs from blood fed and Leishmania-infected midgut, a chitinase, a V-ATPase and a MAP kinase. Finally, two sequences are homologous to Drosophila melanogaster gene products recently discovered through the Drosophila genome initiative.
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PMID:Characterization of constitutive and putative differentially expressed mRNAs by means of expressed sequence tags, differential display reverse transcriptase-PCR and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR from the sand fly vector Lutzomyia longipalpis. 1128 81

In this review we give an account of transport processes occurring at the membrane interface that separates the asexual stage of Plasmodium falciparum from its host, the infected erythrocyte, and also describe proteins whose activities may be important at this location. We explain the potential clinical value of such studies in the light of the current spread of parasite resistance to conventional antimalarial strategies. We discuss the uptake of substrates critical to the survival of the intracellular malaria parasite, and also the parasite's homeostatic and disposal mechanisms. The use of the Xenopus laevis expression system in the characterisation of a hexose transporter ("PfHT1") and a Ca(2+) ATPase ("PfATP4") of the parasite plasma membrane are described in detail.
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PMID:Transport proteins of Plasmodium falciparum: defining the limits of metabolism. 1156 1

Genetic experiments in bacteria have shown the suf operon is involved in iron homeostasis and the oxidative stress response. The sufB and sufC genes that always occur together in bacteria are also found in plants, and even the malaria parasite, associated with the plastid organelle. Although the suf operon is believed to encode an iron-dependent ABC-transporter there is no direct evidence. By immunolocalization we show here that SufB and SufC are associated with the membrane of Escherichia coli. We also present kinetic studies with a recombinant version of SufC from Thermotoga maritima that shows it is an ATPase and that it interacts with SufB in vitro.
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PMID:SufC hydrolyzes ATP and interacts with SufB from Thermotoga maritima. 1194 56

Guanylyl cyclases in eukaryotic unicells were biochemically investigated in the ciliates Paramecium and Tetrahymena, in the malaria parasite Plasmodium and in the ameboid Dictyostelium. In ciliates guanylyl cyclase activity is calcium-regulated suggesting a structural kinship to similarly regulated membrane-bound guanylyl cyclases in vertebrates. Yet, cloning of ciliate guanylyl cyclases revealed a novel combination of known modular building blocks. Two cyclase homology domains are inversely arranged in a topology of mammalian adenylyl cyclases, containing two cassettes of six transmembrane spans. In addition the protozoan guanylyl cyclases contain an N-terminal P-type ATPase-like domain. Sequence comparisons indicate a compromised ATPase function. The adopted novel function remains enigmatic to date. The topology of the guanylyl cyclase domain in all protozoans investigated is identical. A recently identified Dictyostelium guanylyl cyclase lacks the N-terminal P-type ATPase domain. The close functional relation of Paramecium guanylyl cyclases to mammalian adenylyl cyclases has been established by heterologous expression, respective point mutations and a series of active mammalian adenylyl cyclase/ Paramecium guanylyl cyclase chimeras. The unique structure of protozoan guanylyl cyclases suggests that unexpectedly they do not share a common guanylyl cyclase ancestor with their vertebrate congeners but probably originated from an ancestral mammalian-type adenylyl cyclase.
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PMID:Guanylyl cyclases in unicellular organisms. 1195 90

Scoparia dulcis is a perennial herb widely distributed in many tropical countries. It is used as an herbal remedy for gastrointestinal and many other ailments, and in Nicaragua extracts are used to treat malaria. Phytochemical screening has shown that scopadulcic acid A (SDA), scopadulcic acid B (SDB), and semisynthetic analogues are pharmacologically active compounds from S. dulcis. SDB has antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1, antitumor activity in various human cell lines, and direct inhibitory activity against porcine gastric H(+), K(+)-ATPase. A methyl ester of scopadulcic acid B showed the most potent inhibitory activity against gastric proton pumps of 30 compounds tested in one study. Compounds with antiviral, antifungal, and antitumor activity often show activity against Plasmodium falciparum. In P. falciparum, the plasma membrane and food vacuole have H(+)-ATPases and the acidocalcisome has an H(+)-Ppase. These proton pumps are potential targets for antimalarial therapy and may have their function disrupted by compounds known to inhibit gastric proton pumps. We tested pure SDA and found in vitro activity against P. falciparum with an IC(50) of 27 and 19 microM against the D6 and W2 clones, respectively. The IC(50) against the multidrug-resistant isolate, TM91C235, was 23 microM.
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PMID:Efficacy of scopadulcic acid A against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. 1197 16

As it grows within the human erythrocyte, the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, ingests the erythrocyte cytosol, depositing it via an endocytotic feeding mechanism in the "digestive vacuole," a specialized acidic organelle. The digestive vacuole is the site of hemoglobin degradation, the storage site for hemozoin (an inert biocrystal of toxic heme), the site of action of many antimalarial drugs, and the site of proteins known to be involved in antimalarial drug resistance. The acidic pH of this organelle is thought to play a critical role in its various functions; however, the mechanisms by which the pH within the vacuole is maintained are not well understood. In this study, we have used a combination of techniques to demonstrate the presence on the P. falciparum digestive vacuole membrane of two discrete H(+) pumping mechanisms, both capable of acidifying the vacuole interior. One is a V-type H(+)-ATPase, sensitive to concanamycin A and bafilomycin A(1). The other is a H(+)-pyrophosphatase, which was inhibited by NaF and showed a partial dependence on K(+). The operation of the H(+)-pyrophosphatase was dependent on the presence of a Mg(2+)-pyrophosphate complex, and kinetic experiments gave results consistent with free pyrophosphate acting as an inhibitor of the protein. The presence of the combination of a H(+)-ATPase and a H(+)-pyrophosphatase on the P. falciparum digestive vacuole is similar to the situation in the acidic tonoplasts (vacuoles) of plant cells.
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PMID:Acidification of the malaria parasite's digestive vacuole by a H+-ATPase and a H+-pyrophosphatase. 1242 65

Hypoglycaemia and lactic acidosis are potentially life-threatening, poorly understood sequelae of Plasmodium falciparum infections. We investigated relationships between clinical status, treatment, and glucose and lactate kinetics during management of falciparum malaria in 14 Vietnamese adults. Nine had severe malaria, of whom 4 were administered quinine (Group 1a) and 5 artesunate (Group 1b). Five uncomplicated cases received artesunate (Group 2). Glucose and lactate turnover were studied on 3 occasions: (i) immediately after initial antimalarial treatment, (ii) at parasite clearance a median of 3 days later, and (iii) at discharge from hospital a median of 9 days post-admission. Steady-state glucose and lactate kinetics were derived from plasma isotopic enrichment during a primed-continuous infusion of D-[6,6-D2]glucose and a parallel infusion of L-[1-13C]lactate. Group 1a patients had the lowest plasma glucose concentrations in the admission study (median [range] 3.9 [3.6-5.1] vs 6.3 [4.9-7.1] and 4.5 [4.3-5.5] mmol/L in Groups 1b and 2 respectively; P < 0.05 vs Group 1b), but glucose production rates and serum insulin concentrations that were similar to those in the other groups (P > 0.17). This was also the case at parasite clearance and suggested an inappropriate beta cell response. Group 1a patients had the highest admission lactate production (60 [36-77] vs 26 [21-47] and 22 [4-31] mumol/kg.min in Group 1b and 2 respectively; P < 0.05 vs Group 2). Amongst the 9 severe cases, there was an inverse association between plasma glucose and lactate production at admission and parasite clearance (P < 0.05), but no correlation between admission lactate production and serum bicarbonate (P = 0.73). The present data confirm previous studies showing that quinine depresses plasma glucose through stimulation of insulin secretion. It is hypothesized that the low plasma glucose activates Na+,K(+)-ATPase through increased plasma catecholamine concentrations, leading to accelerated glycolysis and increased lactate production in well-oxygenated tissues. In some severely ill patients with falciparum malaria, a raised plasma lactate on its own may, therefore, be an unreliable index of a developing acidosis.
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PMID:Glucose and lactate turnover in adults with falciparum malaria: effect of complications and antimalarial therapy. 1249 78


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