title: Acidocalcisomes in Apicomplexan parasites.
abstract: Acidocalcisomes are acidic calcium stores found in diverse organisms, being conserved from bacteria to man. They posses an acidic matrix that contains several cations bound to phosphates, mainly present in the form of short and long polyphosphate chains. Their matrix is acidified through the action of proton pumps such as a vacuolar proton ATPase and a vacuolar proton pyrophosphatase. The calcium uptake occurs through a Ca2+/H+ counter transporting ATPase located in the membrane of the organelle. Acidocalcisomes have been identified in a variety of microorganisms, including Apicomplexan parasites such as Plasmodium and Eimeria species, and in Toxoplasma gondii. In this paper, we review the structural, biochemical and physiological aspects of acidocalcisomes in Apicomplexan parasites and discuss their functional roles in the maintenance of intracellular ion homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, 350 Paul D. Coverdell Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Kildare
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: Wanderley
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Plattner
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hentschel
authors.forename: Urara
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kawazoe
authors.forename: Jianmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Silvia N J
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Moreno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016782:Apicomplexa / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D015388:Organelles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus; D002118:Calcium