Goldberg D E
Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110.
Infect Agents Dis. 1992 Aug;1(4):207-11.
During its intraerythrocytic development, the malarial parasite devours most of the hemoglobin in its host cell. This enormous catabolic process is achieved through an ordered, efficient degradative pathway that takes place in a specialized organelle, the digestive vacuole. The amino acids generated are used by the parasite for its growth and maturation; the heme released is polymerized into a crystalline matrix called hemozoin. We are beginning to understand the special enzymes that participate in this pathway. We do not yet fully understand the relative importance of exogenous versus catabolically generated amino acids, the function of hemozoin, the mechanism of action of quinoline drugs that concentrate in the digestive vacuole, or the mechanism of protection from malaria of variant hemoglobin gene carriers.
在红细胞内发育过程中，疟原虫会吞噬宿主细胞内的大部分血红蛋白。这一巨大的分解代谢过程是通过在一个特殊细胞器——消化泡中发生的有序、高效的降解途径来实现的。产生的氨基酸被疟原虫用于其生长和成熟；释放的血红素则聚合成一种称为疟色素的晶体基质。我们开始了解参与这一途径的特殊酶。然而，我们尚未完全了解外源性氨基酸与分解代谢产生的氨基酸的相对重要性、疟色素的功能、集中在消化泡中的喹啉类药物的作用机制，或携带变异血红蛋白基因者预防疟疾的机制。
