cAMP-dependent protein kinase from Plasmodium falciparum: an update.
One of the most important public health problems in the world today is the emergence and dissemination of drug-resistant malaria parasites. Plasmodium falciparum is the causative agent of the most lethal form of human malaria. New anti-malarial strategies are urgently required, and their design and development require the identification of potential therapeutic targets. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling the life cycle of the malaria parasite are still poorly understood. The published genome sequence of P. falciparum and previous studies have revealed that several homologues of eukaryotic signalling proteins, such as protein kinases, are relatively conserved. Protein kinases are now widely recognized as important drug targets in protozoan parasites. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is implicated in numerous processes in mammalian cells, and the regulatory mechanisms of the cAMP pathway have been characterized. P. falciparum cAMP-dependent protein kinase plays an important role in the parasite's life cycle and thus represents an attractive target for the development of anti-malarial drugs. In this review, we focus on the P. falciparum cAMP/PKA pathway to provide new insights and an improved understanding of this signalling cascade.
Wurtz
Nathalie
N
UMR-MD3, Relation Hôte-Parasites, Pharmacologie et Thérapeutique (Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II), Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, antenne de Marseille IMTSSA, Allée du Médecin Colonel Eugène Jamot, Parc du Pharo, BP 60109, 13262 Marseille Cedex 07, France.
Chapus
Charles
C
Desplans
Jerome
J
Parzy
Daniel
D
D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases