In artemisinin-resistant falciparum malaria parasites, mitochondrial metabolic pathways are essential for survival but not those of apicoplast.

ABSTRACT: Emergence and spread of parasite resistance to artemisinins, the first-line antimalarial therapy, threaten the malaria eradication policy. To identify therapeutic targets to eliminate artemisinin-resistant parasites, the functioning of the apicoplast and the mitochondrion was studied, focusing on the fatty acid synthesis type II (FASII) pathway in the apicoplast and the electron transfer chain in the mitochondrion. A significant enrichment of the FASII pathway among the up-regulated genes in artemisinin-resistant parasites under dihydroartemisinin treatment was found, in agreement with published transcriptomic data. However, using GC-MS analyzes of fatty acids, we demonstrated for the first time that the FASII pathway is non-functional, ruling out the use of FASII inhibitors to target arte

SUBMITTER: Ouji M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11466614 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature