The crystal structures of macrophage migration inhibitory factor from Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei.

ABSTRACT: Malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum and related parasites, is responsible for millions of deaths each year, mainly from complications arising from the blood stages of its life cycle. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a protein expressed by the parasite during these stages, has been characterized in mammals as a cytokine involved in a broad spectrum of immune responses. It also possesses two catalytic activities, a tautomerase and an oxidoreductase, though the physiological significance of neither reaction is known. Here, we have determined the crystal structure of MIF from two malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei at 2.2 A and 1.8 A, respectively. The structures have an alpha/beta fold and each reveals a trimer, in agreement with the results of an

SUBMITTER: Dobson SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2798171 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature