title: Recent advances in the biology and drug targeting of malaria parasite aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.
abstract: Escalating drug resistance in malaria parasites and lack of vaccine entails the discovery of novel drug targets and inhibitor molecules. The multi-component protein translation machinery is a rich source of such drug targets. Malaria parasites contain three translational compartments: the cytoplasm, apicoplast and mitochondrion, of which the latter two are of the prokaryotic type. Recent explorations by many groups into the malaria parasite protein translation enzymes, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs), have yielded many promising inhibitors. The understanding of the biology of this unique set of 36 enzymes has become much clearer in recent times. Current review discusses the advances made in understanding of crucial aaRSs from Plasmodium and also the specific inhibitors found against malaria aaRSs.
authors.affiliation: Drug Discovery Research Centre, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway, PO box #04, Faridabad, 121001, India. sameena@thsti.res.in.
authors.forename: Sameena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases