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The Putative Mitochondrial Genome of Plasmodium falciparum
Author(s) -
FEAGIN JEAN E.,
GARDNER MALCOLM J.,
WILLIAMSON DONALD H.,
WILSON ROBERT J. M.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1991.tb04436.x
Subject(s) - mitochondrial dna , biology , genome , gene , genetics , apicoplast , mitochondrion , ribosomal rna , plasmodium falciparum , chloroplast , plastid , malaria , immunology
Intraerythrocytic stages of mammalian malarial parasites employ glycolysis for energy production but some aspects of mitochondrial function appear crucial to their survival since inhibitors of mitochondrial protein synthesis and electron transport have antimalarial effects. Investigations of the putative mitochondrial genome of Plasmodium falciparum have detected organellar rRNAs and tRNAs encoded by a 35 kb circular DNA. Some features of the organization and sequence of the rRNA genes are reminiscent of chloroplast DNAs. The 35 kb DNA also encodes open reading frames for proteins normally found in chloroplast but not mitochondrial genomes. An apparently unrelated 6 kb tandemly repeated element which encodes two mitochondrial protein coding genes and fragments of rRNA genes is also found in malarial parasites. The malarial mitochondrial genome thus appears quite unusual. Further investigations are expected to provide insights into the possible functional relationships between these molecules and perhaps their evolutionary history.