title: Why do malaria parasites increase host erythrocyte permeability?
abstract: Malaria parasites increase erythrocyte permeability to diverse solutes including anions, some cations, and organic solutes, as characterized with several independent methods. Over the past decade, patch-clamp studies have determined that the permeability results from one or more ion channels on the infected erythrocyte host membrane. However, the biological role(s) served by these channels, if any, remain controversial. Recent studies implicate the plasmodial surface anion channel (PSAC) and a role in parasite nutrient acquisition. A debated alternative role in remodeling host ion composition for the benefit of the parasite appears to be nonessential. Because both channel activity and the associated clag3 genes are strictly conserved in malaria parasites, channel-mediated permeability is an attractive target for development of new therapies.
authors: Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA. Electronic address: sdesai@niaid.nih.gov.
authors: Sanjay A
authors: SA
authors: Desai
mesh_terms: D002412:Cations / Q000378:metabolism; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D007473:Ion Channels; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C502072:cytoadherence-linked asexual protein 3, Plasmodium falciparum
keywords: antimalarial drug discovery; clag3; erythrocyte remodeling; host–pathogen interactions; intracellular parasitism; nutrient acquisition; parasite ion channels