Active isoprenoid pathway in the intra-erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum: Presence of dolichols of 11 and 12 isoprene units
N-glycosylation of proteins is required for the intra-erythrocytic schizogony of Plasmodium falciparum. In eukaryotic cells, this process involves the transfer of oligosaccharides from a dolichyl pyrophosphate derivative to asparagine residues. We have identified dolichol, dolichyl phosphate and dol...
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| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | JOUR |
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| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_02646021_v341_n3_p629_Couto |
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| Sumario: | N-glycosylation of proteins is required for the intra-erythrocytic schizogony of Plasmodium falciparum. In eukaryotic cells, this process involves the transfer of oligosaccharides from a dolichyl pyrophosphate derivative to asparagine residues. We have identified dolichol, dolichyl phosphate and dolichyl pyrophosphate species of 11 and 12 isoprenoid residues by metabolic labelling with [3H]farnesyl pyrophosphate, [3H]geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate and [14C]acetate in the different intra-erythrocytic stages of P. falciparum. This is the first demonstration of short-chain dolichols in the phylum Apicomplexa. The results demonstrate the presence of an active isoprenoid pathway in the intra-erythrocytic stages of P. falciparum. Parasites treated with mevastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor, show depressed biosynthesis of dolichol, dolichyl phosphate and isoprenoid pyrophosphate. This effect is observed in all intra-erythrocytic stages of the parasite life cycle, but is most pronounced in the ring stage. N-linked glycosylation of proteins was inhibited in the ring and young trophozoite stages after mevastatin treatment of parasite cultures. Therefore the isoprenoid pathway may represent a different approach to the development of new anti-malarial drugs. |
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