Department of Biochemistry, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa.
The Vice Chancellery, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA, Australia.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1340:237-246. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-78397-6_10.
The deadliest malaria parasite of humans, Plasmodium falciparum, is an obligate parasite that has had to develop mechanisms for survival under the unfavourable conditions it confronts within host cells. The chapters in the book "Heat Shock Proteins of Malaria" provide a critique of the evidence that heat shock proteins (Hsps) play a key role in the survival of P. falciparum in host cells. The role of the plasmodial Hsp arsenal is not limited to the protection of the parasite cell (largely through their role as molecular chaperones), as some of these proteins also promote the pathological development of malaria. This is largely due to the export of a large number of these proteins into the infected erythrocyte cytosol. Although P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is the main virulence factor for the malaria parasite, some of the exported plasmodial Hsps appear to augment parasite virulence. While this book largely delves into experimentally validated information on the role of Hsps in the development and pathogenicity of malaria, some of the information is based on hypotheses yet to be fully tested. Therefore, here we highlight what we know to be definite roles of plasmodial Hsps. Furthermore, we distill information that could provide practical insights on the options available for future research directions, including interventions against malaria that may target the role of Hsps in the development of the disease.
人类最致命的疟原虫——恶性疟原虫（Plasmodium falciparum），是一种专性寄生虫，为了在宿主细胞内面临的不利条件下生存，它必须发展出相应的机制。本书《疟原虫热休克蛋白》中的各章内容对热休克蛋白（Hsps）在恶性疟原虫在宿主细胞中生存中发挥关键作用的证据进行了批判。疟原虫热休克蛋白库的作用不仅限于保护寄生虫细胞（主要是通过它们作为分子伴侣的作用），因为其中一些蛋白质也促进疟疾的病理发展。这在很大程度上是由于大量这些蛋白质被输出到感染的红细胞细胞质中。虽然恶性疟原虫红细胞膜蛋白 1（PfEMP1）是疟原虫的主要毒力因子，但一些输出的疟原虫热休克蛋白似乎增强了寄生虫的毒力。虽然这本书主要深入探讨了实验验证的关于 Hsps 在疟疾发展和发病机制中的作用的信息，但其中一些信息是基于尚未得到充分验证的假设。因此，在这里我们强调了我们所知道的疟原虫 Hsps 的明确作用。此外，我们还提炼了可能为未来研究方向提供实际见解的信息，包括针对可能针对 Hsps 在疾病发展中作用的疟疾干预措施。
