The pathway of hemoglobin degradation in malaria parasites.
Hemoglobin degradation in malaria parasites appears to be a vital and massive undertaking during intraerythrocytic development. An ordered pathway exists that efficiently catabolizes hemoglobin to yield amino acids that the parasite uses as a nutrient source, and that co-ordinates the resultant heme into a remarkable crystalline structure called hemozoin. Daniel Goldberg and Andrew Slater explain that the enzymes involved are specific and present prime targets for chemotherapeutic intervention.
Departments of Molecular Microbiology and Medicine, Washington University, Box 8230, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St Louis, MO 631 10, USA.
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