Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2050265 | FEBS Letters | 2009 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
The nuclear genome of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum encodes a homolog of the bacterial HU protein (PfHU). In this study, we characterised PfHU’s physiological function. PfHU, which is targeted exclusively to the parasite’s plastid, bound its natural target – the plastid DNA – sequence-independently and complemented lack of HU in Escherichia coli. The HU gene could not be knocked-out from the genome of Plasmodium berghei, implying that HU is important for the parasite’s survival. As the human cell lacks the HU homolog, PfHU is a potential target for drugs to control malaria.
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Authors
Narie Sasaki, Makoto Hirai, Katsura Maeda, Ryoko Yui, Kie Itoh, Syoko Namiki, Teppei Morita, Masayuki Hata, Kimiko Murakami-Murofushi, Hiroyuki Matsuoka, Kiyoshi Kita, Shigeharu Sato,