Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Understanding the Development of Compensatory Pathways in a Mutant Malaria Parasite Harbouring Hypomorphic Allele of Plant-Like Kinases
Published on: November 22, 2024
Beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase I/II from Plasmodium falciparum (PfFabB/F)--is it B or F?
Shilpi Sharma1, Shailendra Kumar Sharma, Namita Surolia
1Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
Abstract:
Condensing enzymes play an important and decisive role in terms of fatty acid composition of any organism. They can be classified as condensing enzymes involved in initiating the cycle and enzymes involved in elongating the initiated fatty acyl chain. In E. coli, two isoforms for the elongation condensing enzymes (FabB and FabF) exists whereas Plasmodium genome contains only one isoform. By in vitro complementation studies in E. coli CY244 cells, we show that PfFabB/F functions like E. coli FabF as the growth of the mutant cells could be rescued only in the presence of oleic acid. But unlike bacterial enzyme, PfFabB/F does not increase the cis-vaccenic acid content in the mutant cells upon lowering the growth temperature. This study thus highlights the distinct properties of P. falciparum FabF which sets it apart from E. coli and most other enzymes of this family described so far.
Related Concept Videos
ATP Synthase: Mechanism
The ADP/ATP Carrier Protein
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
ATP Synthase: Structure
Cell Specific Gene Expression
Malaria

