title: Replication and maintenance of the Plasmodium falciparum apicoplast genome.
abstract: Members of the phylum Apicomplexa are responsible for many devastating diseases including malaria (Plasmodium spp.), toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii), babesiosis (Babesia bovis), and cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora cayetanensis). Most Apicomplexans contain a unique and essential organelle called the apicoplast. Derived from an ancient chloroplast, the apicoplast replicates and maintains a 35 kilobase (kb) circular genome. Due to its essential nature within the parasite, drugs targeted to proteins involved in DNA replication and repair of the apicoplast should be potent and specific. This review summarizes the current knowledge surrounding the replication and repair of the Plasmodium falciparum apicoplast genome and identifies several putative proteins involved in replication and repair pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames IA 50011, USA.
authors.forename: Morgan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Milton
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames IA 50011, USA. Electronic address: swn@iastate.edu.
authors.forename: Scott W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000494:pharmacology; D063546:Apicoplasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004260:DNA Repair; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D055808:Drug Discovery; D018503:Genome, Protozoan; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins
keywords: Apicoplast; DNA replication; Drug discovery; Malaria