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Updated: May 27, 2026
12:38
Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System to Study Protein Homeostasis in a Multicellular Organism
Published on: December 18, 2013
Redox-assisted protein folding systems in eukaryotic parasites
Saikh Jaharul Haque1, Tanmay Majumdar, Sailen Barik
1Department of Pathobiology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Antioxidants & Redox Signaling
|November 30, 2011
Summary
Cysteine residues in proteins are crucial for redox modifications and disulfide bond formation, impacting protein structure and function. Understanding these redox processes in parasitic organisms is key to developing new therapeutic strategies.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Parasitology
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Redox-related protein folding is a key regulatory mechanism in protozoan parasites, influencing their life cycle and host interactions.
- Genome data is increasingly complementing traditional studies on parasitic redox processes.
- This review focuses on reversible cysteine disulfide bond formation in parasitic proteins, their structural impact, and functional significance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the role of reversible cysteine disulfide bond formation in parasitic proteins.
- To elucidate the structural consequences and functional relevance of these modifications.
- To highlight the importance of redox research in parasitic diseases.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on redox-related protein folding in parasites.
- Analysis of structural and functional data concerning cysteine residues.
- Integration of genomic information with biochemical and enzymological studies.
Main Results:
- Cysteine residues are critical sites for post-translational redox modifications.
- Disulfide bonds formed by cysteine residues significantly influence protein conformation.
- Molecular mechanisms of protein folding in parasites are often not well-understood or linked to function.
Conclusions:
- Comprehensive characterization of redox enzymes and their client proteins is essential for clinical applications.
- Understanding redox regulation in parasites can lead to novel therapeutic interventions.
- Further research is needed to connect folding mechanisms with functional outcomes in parasitic diseases.
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Overview