Activation of Anopheles stephensi Pantothenate Kinase and Coenzyme A Biosynthesis Reduces Infection with Diverse Plasmodium Species in the Mosquito Host.

ABSTRACT: Malaria parasites require pantothenate from both human and mosquito hosts to synthesize coenzyme A (CoA). Specifically, mosquito-stage parasites cannot synthesize pantothenate de novo or take up preformed CoA from the mosquito host, making it essential for the parasite to obtain pantothenate from mosquito stores. This makes pantothenate utilization an attractive target for controlling sexual stage malaria parasites in the mosquito. CoA is synthesized from pantothenate in a multi-step pathway initiated by the enzyme pantothenate kinase (PanK). In this work, we manipulated A. stephensi PanK activity and assessed the impact of mosquito PanK activity on the development of two malaria parasite species with distinct genetics and life cycles: the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum

SUBMITTER: Simao-Gurge RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8228300 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature