Apicomplexa form one of the largest and most diverse groups of obligate intracellular parasites, capable of infecting almost every kind of animal. It is estimated that between 1.2 and 10 million species exist, but only about 5,000-6,000 have been identified to date. These include Plasmodium (that causes malaria and about 440,000 deaths every year), Toxoplasma (that causes congenital disease and opportunistic infections in immunocompromised people), Babesia (that infects cattle), etc.
Despite the global economic and health impact of these parasites, much of their biology is still unknown. For example, their surface is covered by glycoconjugates that are essential for their survival and infectivity, but little is known of the processes that lead to the synthesis of such molecules. In particular, one of the enzymes needed for the synthesis of important glycoconjugates had not yet been identified: the apicomplexan organisms do not have the glucosamine-phosphate N-acetyltransferase (GNA1) enzyme that fulfils this function in animals, plants and other eukaryotes.
In this study, the research team scanned the genome of P. falciparum and six other representative species of the phylum with the aim of identifying genes with GNA1-like activity using proteins containing the Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) domain. They identified and isolated a gene family with GNA1 function, which was confirmed by enzyme activity assays in vitro and by its capacity to restore growth in yeasts lacking GNA1.
Furthermore, gene disruption by gene editing techniques such as CRISPR-CAS resulted in the absence of growth of parasites carrying the mutated gene, indicating that the protein is required for parasite viability. Sequence analyses indicate that the gene family has a single origin and evolved independently and parallel to its GNA1 counterpart (present in all other eukaryote organisms).
"Our results indicate that this enzyme is common to all members of the Apicomplexa phllyum and is likely essential for parasite growth. We are now analysing in detail its differences with human GNA1", explains lead author. "Because of its different origin, this enzyme could represent a good therapeutic target with selective action against all apicomplexans" adds researcher and coordinator of the study.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-22441-3
Latest News
Abusive drugs hijack natura…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Mechanism of action of the…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Role of fat in rare neurolo…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
How protein synthesis in de…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Atlas of mRNA variants in d…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Other Top Stories
Ultrasound disruption of blood-brain barrier
Read more
Visualizing gene expression with MRI
Read more
Imaging retinal ganglion cells
Read more
A biosensor to detect tumors at early stages
Read more
First cell culture of live adult human neurons shows potential of b…
Read more
Protocols
A programmable targeted pro…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Publications
Exploiting pancreatic cance…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Structure of antiviral drug…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Type-I-interferon-responsiv…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Selenium, diabetes, and the…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Long-term neuropsychologica…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar