Localization of heme biosynthesis pathway enzymes in Plasmodium falciparum

Aditya Rao, Sri Jyothsna Yeleswarapu, Rajgopal Srinivasan, Gopalakrishnan Bulusu
2008 Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics  
Protein trafficking in the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum is dictated by a complex life-cycle that involves a variety of intra-cellular and host cell destinations, such as the mitochondrion, apicoplast, rhoptries and micronemes. Of these, the apicoplast and mitochondrion are believed to account for more than 10% of this traffic. Studies have shown that mechanisms for mitochondrion and apicoplast targeting are distinct, despite their close physical proximity. The heme biosynthesis
more » ... y spans both these organelles, making trafficking studies crucial for the spatial demarcation of the constituent interactions. This minireview highlights the challenges in identifying the possible sub-cellular destinations of the heme pathway enzymes using gleanings from literature survey as well as focussed bioinformatic analysis.
pmid:19239121 fatcat:7vugdiobxrdp7dp4wt3ozknnim