Kafsack Björn F C, Carruthers Vern B
Department of Microbiology and Immunology; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI USA.
Commun Integr Biol. 2010 Jan;3(1):18-23. doi: 10.4161/cib.3.1.9794.
Numerous perforin-like proteins are encoded in the genomes of apicomplexan parasites, where they are expressed in various life-cycle stages and play critical roles in pathogenesis and lifecycle progression. These ApiPLPs are characterized by the presence of a MACPF domain, responsible for pore-formation in target membranes in a number of systems, including many bacterial pathogens and effector cells of the immune response. ApiPLP MACPF domains maintain the critical structural elements but are often present in new and intriguing domain arrangements. Recent work in Toxoplasma and Plasmodium has shown that ApiPLPs are important for breaching membranes during parasite egress and cell traversal. Here we present an overview of this important protein family from a structural, functional and phylogenetic perspective across the Apicomplexa.
许多穿孔素样蛋白编码于顶复门寄生虫的基因组中，它们在不同的生命周期阶段表达，并在发病机制和生命周期进展中发挥关键作用。这些顶复门穿孔素样蛋白（ApiPLPs）的特征是存在一个膜攻击复合物/穿孔素（MACPF）结构域，该结构域在许多系统中负责在靶膜上形成孔道，包括许多细菌病原体和免疫反应的效应细胞。ApiPLP的MACPF结构域保留了关键的结构元件，但通常以新的、有趣的结构域排列形式存在。近期针对弓形虫和疟原虫的研究表明，ApiPLPs对于寄生虫逸出和穿越细胞过程中的膜破裂很重要。在此，我们从结构、功能和系统发育的角度，对整个顶复门中这一重要的蛋白家族进行概述。
