Exploiting the unique ATP-binding pocket of toxoplasma calcium-dependent protein kinase 1 to identify its substrates.

ABSTRACT: Apicomplexan parasites rely on calcium as a second messenger to regulate a variety of essential cellular processes. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPK), which transduce these signals, are conserved among apicomplexans but absent from mammalian hosts, making them attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. Despite their importance, the signaling pathways CDPK regulate remain poorly characterized, and their protein substrates are completely unknown. In Toxoplasma gondii, CDPK1 is required for calcium-regulated secretion from micronemes, thereby controlling motility, invasion, and egress from host cells. CDPK1 is unique among parasite and mammalian kinases in containing glycine at the key "gatekeeper" residue, which results in an expanded ATP-binding pocket. In the present study, we

SUBMITTER: Lourido S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3691715 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature