Waller Ross F, McFadden Geoffrey I
Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2005 Jan;7(1):57-79.
The apicoplast is a plastid organelle, homologous to chloroplasts of plants, that is found in apicomplexan parasites such as the causative agents of Malaria Plasmodium spp. It occurs throughout the Apicomplexa and is an ancient feature of this group acquired by the process of endosymbiosis. Like plant chloroplasts, apicoplasts are semi-autonomous with their own genome and expression machinery. In addition, apicoplasts import numerous proteins encoded by nuclear genes. These nuclear genes largely derive from the endosymbiont through a process of intracellular gene relocation. The exact role of a plastid in parasites is uncertain but early clues indicate synthesis of lipids, heme and isoprenoids as possibilities. The various metabolic processes of the apicoplast are potentially excellent targets for drug therapy.
顶质体是一种质体细胞器，与植物叶绿体同源，存在于顶复门寄生虫中，如疟疾疟原虫属的病原体。它存在于整个顶复门中，是该类群通过内共生过程获得的一个古老特征。与植物叶绿体一样，顶质体是半自主的，有自己的基因组和表达机制。此外，顶质体还会导入许多由核基因编码的蛋白质。这些核基因很大程度上是通过细胞内基因重定位过程从内共生体衍生而来的。质体在寄生虫中的具体作用尚不确定，但早期线索表明脂质、血红素和类异戊二烯的合成是可能的。顶质体的各种代谢过程可能是药物治疗的极佳靶点。
