Shabani Sadeq, Serbus Laura Renee
Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8 St, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
Protein J. 2025 Apr;44(2):133-146. doi: 10.1007/s10930-025-10260-1. Epub 2025 Feb 20.
Malaria remains a formidable challenge to global health, claiming the lives of nearly half a million individuals annually despite vigorous efforts to curb its spread. Among the myriad factors influencing the persistence and virulence of this disease, the role of specific proteins during the Plasmodium development cycle is critical. The protein of interest, Pfs16, is a Parasitophorous Vacuole Membrane Protein expressed from the earliest asexual stages, which encompass the development of Plasmodium falciparum in the host, to the final stage of the parasite's development in the mosquito, the sporozoite, playing a crucial role in this lifecycle. Understanding the function and mechanism of this conserved protein is pivotal for advancing our strategies to combat malaria. In this review, we examine the work on Pfs16 in both the asexual and sexual stages of parasite development, aiming to gain a better understanding of this protein as a promising candidate for drug and vaccine development.
疟疾仍然是全球健康面临的一项严峻挑战，尽管人们为遏制其传播付出了巨大努力，但每年仍有近50万人死于疟疾。在影响这种疾病持续存在和毒力的众多因素中，特定蛋白质在疟原虫发育周期中的作用至关重要。我们感兴趣的蛋白质Pfs16是一种从最早的无性阶段就开始表达的寄生泡膜蛋白，这一阶段涵盖了恶性疟原虫在宿主体内的发育，直至寄生虫在蚊子体内发育的最后阶段——子孢子，它在这个生命周期中起着关键作用。了解这种保守蛋白质的功能和机制对于推进我们对抗疟疾的策略至关重要。在这篇综述中，我们研究了Pfs16在寄生虫发育的无性和有性阶段的研究工作，旨在更好地了解这种蛋白质，将其作为药物和疫苗开发的一个有前景的候选对象。
