Structural and evolutionary divergence of eukaryotic protein kinases in Apicomplexa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Apicomplexa constitute an evolutionarily divergent phylum of protozoan pathogens responsible for widespread parasitic diseases such as malaria and toxoplasmosis. Many cellular functions in these medically important organisms are controlled by protein kinases, which have emerged as promising drug targets for parasitic diseases. However, an incomplete understanding of how apicomplexan kinases structurally and mechanistically differ from their host counterparts has hindered drug development efforts to target parasite kinases.

Results

We used the wealth of sequence data recently made available for 15 apicomplexan species to identify the kinome of each species and quantify the evolutionary constraints imposed on each family of apicomplexan kinases. Our analysis rev

SUBMITTER: Talevich E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3239843 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature