Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Understanding the Development of Compensatory Pathways in a Mutant Malaria Parasite Harbouring Hypomorphic Allele of Plant-Like Kinases
09:13

Understanding the Development of Compensatory Pathways in a Mutant Malaria Parasite Harbouring Hypomorphic Allele of Plant-Like Kinases

Published on: November 22, 2024

Subtilisin-like proteases of the malaria parasite

Chrislaine Withers-Martinez1, Létitia Jean, Michael J Blackman

  • 1Division of Parasitology, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.

Molecular Microbiology
|July 1, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Malaria parasite serine proteases called subtilases are crucial for red blood cell invasion. Understanding their function offers potential as novel drug targets for malaria treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Parasitology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Proteases are vital for the malaria parasite Plasmodium spp. lifecycle.
  • Serine proteases are implicated in red blood cell invasion during the erythrocytic cycle, causing malaria symptoms.
  • Three Plasmodium subtilase genes have been identified in the last six years.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the maturation, specificity, structure, and function of Plasmodium subtilases.
  • To highlight the potential of these subtilases as drug targets.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent research on Plasmodium subtilases.
  • Analysis of gene expression and protein localization data.
  • Examination of structural and functional studies.

Main Results:

  • All three identified subtilases are expressed during asexual blood stages.
  • Subtilase products localize to merozoite secretory organelles, suggesting roles in invasion.
  • Progress has been made in understanding their maturation, specificity, structure, and function.

Conclusions:

  • Plasmodium subtilases are key players in the malaria parasite's asexual blood stages.
  • Their involvement in red blood cell invasion makes them promising targets for new antimalarial drugs.

More Related Videos

CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing to Make Conditional Mutants of Human Malaria Parasite P. falciparum09:25

CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing to Make Conditional Mutants of Human Malaria Parasite P. falciparum

Published on: September 18, 2018

Phenotypic Analysis of Rodent Malaria Parasite Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages and Mosquito Stages08:23

Phenotypic Analysis of Rodent Malaria Parasite Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages and Mosquito Stages

Published on: May 30, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Malaria01:29

Malaria

Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
Diversity of Protists II01:27

Diversity of Protists II

Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
Antiprotozoal Agents01:21

Antiprotozoal Agents

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...
The Proteasome01:13

The Proteasome

Eukaryotic cells can degrade proteins through several pathways. One of the most important among these is the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. It helps the cell eliminate the misfolded, damaged, or unwarranted cytoplasmic proteins in a highly specific manner.
In this pathway, the target proteins are first tagged with small proteins called ubiquitin. This involves participation of a series of enzymes including— E1 (ubiquitin-activating enzyme), E2 (ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme), and E3 (ubiquitin...
The Proteasome Structure01:17

The Proteasome Structure

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is a well-known mechanism utilized by eukaryotic cells to remove cytoplasmic proteins that are misfolded, damaged, or no longer needed. In this pathway, the protein that needs to be eliminated undergoes a process called ubiquitination, where a chain of ubiquitin molecules is attached to the 48th lysine residue of the target protein. This ubiquitin modification helps the proteasome distinguish between a target protein and a healthy protein.
The proteasome is an...