DOI: 10.1073/pnas.87.8.2931. Hemoglobin degradation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum: an ordered process in a unique organelle.

Hemoglobin degradation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum: an ordered process in a unique organelle.

10.1073/pnas.87.8.2931

Crossref journal-article

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (341)

Abstract

The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum uses host erythrocyte hemoglobin as a major nutrient source. We report the purification of P. falciparum digestive vacuoles and characterization of the degradative process therein. Vacuoles were isolated by a combination of differential centrifugation and density gradient separation. The pure vacuoles were capable of degrading hemoglobin to small fragments with a pH optimum of 5-5.5. Proteolysis in the vacuoles appears to be an ordered process, requiring an aspartic protease to clip intact hemoglobin before other proteolytic activities can function efficiently. The vacuoles do not contain other hydrolases commonly found in lysosomes and therefore appear to be unique proteolytic organelles designed specifically to degrade hemoglobin.

Bibliography

Goldberg, D. E., Slater, A. F., Cerami, A., & Henderson, G. B. (1990). Hemoglobin degradation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum: an ordered process in a unique organelle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 87(8), 2931â2935.

Authors 4

D E Goldberg (first)
A F Slater (additional)
A Cerami (additional)
G B Henderson (additional)

References 0 Referenced 369

None

Dates

Type	When
Created	19 years, 3 months ago (May 31, 2006, 7:38 a.m.)
Deposited	3 years, 4 months ago (April 13, 2022, 1:06 p.m.)
Indexed	1 week, 1 day ago (Aug. 29, 2025, 6:28 a.m.)
Issued	35 years, 5 months ago (April 1, 1990)
Published	35 years, 5 months ago (April 1, 1990)
Published Online	35 years, 5 months ago (April 1, 1990)
Published Print	35 years, 5 months ago (April 1, 1990)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Goldberg_1990, title={Hemoglobin degradation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum: an ordered process in a unique organelle.}, volume={87}, ISSN={1091-6490}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.87.8.2931}, DOI={10.1073/pnas.87.8.2931}, number={8}, journal={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, publisher={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, author={Goldberg, D E and Slater, A F and Cerami, A and Henderson, G B}, year={1990}, month=apr, pages={2931–2935} }

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