Lang-Unnasch N, Murphy A D
Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294-2170, USA.
Annu Rev Microbiol. 1998;52:561-90. doi: 10.1146/annurev.micro.52.1.561.
Plasmodium falciparum is an obligate human parasite that is the causative agent of the most lethal form of human malaria. Transmission of P. falciparum to a new human host requires a mosquito vector within which sexual replication occurs. P. falciparum replicates as an intracellular parasite in man and as an extracellular parasite in the mosquito, and it undergoes multiple developmental changes in both hosts. Changes in the environment and the activities of parasites in these various life-cycle stages are likely to be reflected in changes in the metabolic needs and capabilities of the parasite. Most of our knowledge of the metabolic capabilities of P. falciparum is derived from studies of the asexual erythrocytic cycle of the parasite, the portion of the parasite life cycle found in infected humans that is responsible for malarial symptoms. Efforts to control transmission and to understand the sometimes unique biology of this parasite have led to information about the metabolic capabilities of sexual and/or sporogonic stages of these parasites. This review focuses on comparing and contrasting the carbohydrate, nucleic acid, and protein synthetic capabilities of asexual erythrocytic stages and sexual stages of P. falciparum.
恶性疟原虫是一种专性人体寄生虫，是人类疟疾最致命形式的病原体。恶性疟原虫传播到新的人类宿主需要蚊子作为媒介，在蚊子体内发生有性繁殖。恶性疟原虫在人体内作为细胞内寄生虫进行复制，在蚊子体内作为细胞外寄生虫进行复制，并且在两个宿主体内都会经历多次发育变化。在这些不同生命周期阶段，环境变化和寄生虫活动可能会反映在寄生虫代谢需求和能力的变化上。我们对恶性疟原虫代谢能力的大部分了解来自对该寄生虫无性红细胞周期的研究，这是在受感染人类中发现的寄生虫生命周期的一部分，负责疟疾症状。控制传播以及了解这种寄生虫有时独特生物学特性的努力，带来了有关这些寄生虫有性和/或孢子生殖阶段代谢能力的信息。本综述重点比较和对比恶性疟原虫无性红细胞阶段和有性阶段的碳水化合物、核酸和蛋白质合成能力。
