Apicomplexan energy metabolism: carbon source promiscuity and the quiescence hyperbole
Abstract
The nature of energy metabolism in apicomplexan parasites has been closely investigated in the recent years. Studies in Plasmodium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii in particular have revealed that these parasites are able to employ enzymes in non-traditional ways, while utilizing multiple anaplerotic routes into a canonical tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle to satisfy their energy requirements. Importantly, some life stages of these parasites previously considered to be metabolically quiescent are, in fact, active and able to adapt their carbon source utilization to survive. We compare energy metabolism across the life cycle of malaria parasites and consider how this varies in other apicomplexans and related organisms, while discussing how this can be exploited for therapeutic intervention in these diseases.
Journal details
Journal Trends in Parasitology
Volume 32
Issue number 1
Pages 56-70
Publication date
Full text links
Publisher website (DOI) 10.1016/j.pt.2015.09.001
Europe PubMed Central 26472327
Pubmed 26472327
Keywords
Related topics
Type of publication