Francis S E, Sullivan D J, Goldberg D E
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Annu Rev Microbiol. 1997;51:97-123. doi: 10.1146/annurev.micro.51.1.97.
Hemoglobin degradation in intraerythrocytic malaria parasites is a vast process that occurs in an acidic digestive vacuole. Proteases that participate in this catabolic pathway have been defined. Studies of protease biosynthesis have revealed unusual targeting and activation mechanisms. Oxygen radicals and heme are released during proteolysis and must be detoxified by dismutation and polymerization, respectively. The quinoline antimalarials appear to act by preventing sequestration of this toxic heme. Understanding the disposition of hemoglobin has allowed identification of essential processes and metabolic weakpoints that can be exploited to combat this scourge of mankind.
红细胞内疟原虫中的血红蛋白降解是一个在酸性消化泡中发生的广泛过程。参与这一分解代谢途径的蛋白酶已被明确。蛋白酶生物合成的研究揭示了不同寻常的靶向和激活机制。氧自由基和血红素在蛋白水解过程中释放，必须分别通过歧化作用和聚合作用进行解毒。喹啉类抗疟药似乎是通过阻止这种有毒血红素的螯合而起作用。对血红蛋白代谢过程的了解使得人们能够识别出关键过程和代谢弱点，从而利用这些来对抗这一人类灾难。
