Review
Version 1
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Novel Ion Channel Genes in Malaria Parasites
Version 1
: Received: 6 February 2024 / Approved: 7 February 2024 / Online: 7 February 2024 (08:15:14 CET)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Desai, S.A. Novel Ion Channel Genes in Malaria Parasites. Genes 2024, 15, 296. Desai, S.A. Novel Ion Channel Genes in Malaria Parasites. Genes 2024, 15, 296.
Abstract
Ion channels serve many cellular functions including ion homeostasis, volume regulation, signaling, nutrient acquisition, and developmental progression. Although the complex lifecycles of malaria parasites necessitate ion and solute flux across membranes, whole genome sequencing of the human pathogen, Plasmodium falciparum, revealed remarkably few orthologs of known ion channel genes. Contrasting with this, biochemical studies have implicated channel-mediated flux of ions and nutritive solutes across several membranes in infected erythrocytes. Here, I review advances in the cellular and molecular biology of ion channels in malaria parasites. These studies have implicated novel parasite genes in the formation of at least two ion channels, with additional ion channels likely present at various membranes and parasite stages. Computational approaches that rely on homology to known channel genes from higher organisms will not be very helpful in identifying the molecular determinants of these activities. Given their unusual properties, novel molecular and structural features, and essential roles in pathogen survival and development, parasite channels should be promising targets for therapy development.
Keywords
ion channels; nutrient uptake; protein export; transmembrane transport; malaria; Plasmodium falciparum; antimalarial therapies.
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Medicine and Pharmacology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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