The glyoxalase system of malaria parasites

• Verfasst von: Urscher, Miriam [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Alisch, Romy [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Deponte, Marcel [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: The glyoxalase system of malaria parasites
• Titelzusatz: implications for cell biology and general glyoxalase research
• Verf.angabe: Miriam Urscher, Romy Alisch, Marcel Deponte
• E-Jahr: 2011
• Jahr: 15 February 2011
• Umfang: 9 S.
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 01.12.2022
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Seminars in cell & developmental biology
• Ort Quelle: London : Academic Press, 1996
• Jahr Quelle: 2011
• Band/Heft Quelle: 22(2011), 3 vom: Mai, Seite 262-270
• ISSN Quelle: 1096-3634
• DOI: doi:10.1016/j.semcdb.2011.02.003
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Sach-SW: Apicoplast
• Sach-SW: Enzyme catalysis
• Sach-SW: Glyoxalase
• Sach-SW: Malaria
• Sach-SW: Methylglyoxal
• K10plus-PPN: 1824129157

Abstract

Malaria parasites of the genus Plasmodium have developed sophisticated mechanisms to benefit from the nutrient-rich environments of their hosts. For example, by hiding in red blood cells, they found a secure way to tap into the glucose supply of vertebrates. The high-power metabolism of Plasmodium leads not only to a significantly increased glucose consumption of infected erythrocytes, but also to an elevated production of d-lactate from methylglyoxal. The latter substance is a harmful by-product from glycolysis that is detoxified by the ubiquitous glyoxalase system. This system consists of reduced glutathione and two enzymes, the glyoxalases 1 and 2. Inhibition of the glyoxalases in the host/parasite unit is expected to be highly detrimental to the parasite. Moreover, by studying Plasmodium isozymes, physiological functions of the system beyond methylglyoxal conversion became prima facie obvious: (i) the two different active sites of glyoxalase 1 as well as the existence of (insular) glyoxalases in the apicoplast point to alternative substrates and metabolic pathways. (ii) The allostery of glyoxlase 1 and the monomer-dimer equilibrium of glyoxalase 2 suggest novel regulatory features of these enzymes. Here we review the current knowledge on the glyoxalase systems of the host/parasite unit, discuss their potential as drug target and summarize new hypotheses on glyoxalases with respect to general cell biology.