Structure of the 40S ribosomal subunit of Plasmodium falciparum by homology and de novo modeling

In this study, homology modeling and structure prediction tools such as RNA123 and SWISS-MODEL were used to generate the 40S ribosomal subunit from Plasmodium falciparum. This structure was modeled using the published crystal structure from Tetrahymena thermophila, a homologous eukaryote. In the absence of the Plasmodium falciparum 40S ribosomal crystal structure, the model accurately depicts a global topology, secondary and tertiary connections, and gives an overall root mean square deviation (RMSD) value of 3.9 Å relative to the template׳s crystal structure. Structures generated from this study can be used in in silico screening experiments and lead to the determination of structures for targets/hit complexes.411