Erythrocyte G protein as a novel target for malarial chemotherapy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Malaria remains a serious health problem because resistance develops to all currently used drugs when their parasite targets mutate. Novel antimalarial drug targets are urgently needed to reduce global morbidity and mortality. Our prior results suggested that inhibiting erythrocyte Gs signaling blocked invasion by the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Methods and findings

We investigated the erythrocyte guanine nucleotide regulatory protein Gs as a novel antimalarial target. Erythrocyte "ghosts" loaded with a Gs peptide designed to block Gs interaction with its receptors, were blocked in beta-adrenergic agonist-induced signaling. This finding directly demonstrates that erythrocyte Gs is functional and that propranolol, an antagonist of G protein-couple

SUBMITTER: Murphy SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1716186 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature