Targeting Plasmodium Plasmepsin V: Hitting Two Birds with One Stone

Nicolas M B Brancucci; Volker T Heussler; Christof Grüring

doi:10.1016/j.pt.2019.12.006

Targeting Plasmodium Plasmepsin V: Hitting Two Birds with One Stone

Trends Parasitol. 2020 Feb;36(2):85-87. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.12.006.

Authors

Nicolas M B Brancucci¹, Volker T Heussler², Christof Grüring³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: nicolas.brancucci@swisstph.ch.
² Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
³ Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: christof.gruering@izb.unibe.ch.

PMID: 31883707
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.12.006

Abstract

A recent report by Jennison et al. reveals an important role for plasmepsin V (PMV), an aspartyl protease, in the development of malaria transmission stages. The authors showed that PMV activity is critical for protein export in these stages and that specific PMV inhibitors block parasite transmission to mosquitoes.

Keywords: Anopheles mosquito; Plasmodium export element; aspartyl protease; gametocyte-exported proteins; malaria transmission; plasmepsin V.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Antimalarials / pharmacology
Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / antagonists & inhibitors*
Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / metabolism*
Carbamates / pharmacology
Humans
Life Cycle Stages / drug effects
Life Cycle Stages / physiology
Malaria / parasitology*
Malaria / prevention & control
Malaria / transmission*
Oligopeptides / pharmacology
Plasmodium / drug effects
Plasmodium / enzymology*
Protein Transport / drug effects

Substances

Antimalarials
Carbamates
Oligopeptides
WEHI-842
Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases
plasmepsin