Structural biology of plasmodial proteins

Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2007 Dec;17(6):744-54. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2007.08.001. Epub 2007 Sep 17.

Abstract

Malaria is a global disease infecting several million individuals annually. Malarial infection is particularly severe in the poorest parts of the world and is a major drain on their limited resources. Development of drug resistance and absence of a preventive vaccine have led to an immediate necessity for identifying new drug targets to combat malaria. Understanding the intricacies of parasite biology is essential to design novel intervention strategies that can prevent the growth of the parasite. The structural biology approach towards this goal involves the identification of key differences in the structures of the human and parasite enzymes and the determination of unique protein structures essential for parasite survival. This review covers the work on structural biology of plasmodial proteins carried out during the period of January 2006 to June 2007.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Models, Molecular
  • Plasmodium / chemistry*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protozoan Proteins / chemistry*

Substances

  • Protozoan Proteins