Proteases in Malaria Parasites - A Phylogenomic Perspective

Title: Proteases in Malaria Parasites - A Phylogenomic Perspective

Volume: 12 Issue: 6

Author(s): Hong Cai, Rui Kuang, Jianying Gu and Yufeng Wang

Affiliation:

Keywords: protease, malaria, Plasmodium, phylogenomics, genomics, target, vaccine, systems biology, remote homology detection, evolution

Abstract: Malaria continues to be one of the most devastating global health problems due to the high morbidity and mortality it causes in endemic regions. The search for new antimalarial targets is of high priority because of the increasing prevalence of drug resistance in malaria parasites. Malarial proteases constitute a class of promising therapeutic targets as they play important roles in the parasite life cycle and it is possible to design and screen for specific protease inhibitors. In this mini-review, we provide a phylogenomic overview of malarial proteases. An evolutionary perspective on the origin and divergence of these proteases will provide insights into the adaptive mechanisms of parasite growth, development, infection, and pathogenesis.

Cite this article as:

Cai Hong, Kuang Rui, Gu Jianying and Wang Yufeng, Proteases in Malaria Parasites - A Phylogenomic Perspective, Current Genomics 2011; 12 (6) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920211797248565