Abstract
Malaria inflicts an enormous burden on global human health. The emergence of parasite resistance to front-line drugs has prompted a renewed focus on the repositioning of clinically approved drugs as potential anti-malarial therapies. Antibiotics that inhibit protein translation are promising candidates for repositioning. We have solved the cryo-EM structure of the cytoplasmic ribosome from the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, in complex with emetine at 3.2 Å resolution. Emetine is an anti-protozoan drug used in the treatment of ameobiasis that also displays potent anti-malarial activity. Emetine interacts with the E-site of the ribosomal small subunit and shares a similar binding site with the antibiotic pactamycin, thereby delivering its therapeutic effect by blocking mRNA/tRNA translocation. As the first cryo-EM structure that visualizes an antibiotic bound to any ribosome at atomic resolution, this establishes cryo-EM as a powerful tool for screening and guiding the design of drugs that target parasite translation machinery.
Authors
9
- Wilson Wong (first)
- Xiao-chen Bai (additional)
- Alan Brown (additional)
- Israel S Fernandez (additional)
- Eric Hanssen (additional)
- Melanie Condron (additional)
- Yan Hong Tan (additional)
- Jake Baum (additional)
- Sjors HW Scheres (additional)
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56
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Dates
Type | When |
---|---|
Created | 11 years, 2 months ago (June 9, 2014, 11:29 a.m.) |
Deposited | 1 year, 10 months ago (Oct. 11, 2023, 8:45 p.m.) |
Indexed | 21 hours, 59 minutes ago (Aug. 21, 2025, 1:01 p.m.) |
Issued | 11 years, 2 months ago (June 9, 2014) |
Published | 11 years, 2 months ago (June 9, 2014) |
Published Online | 11 years, 2 months ago (June 9, 2014) |
Funders
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National Health and Medical Research Council
10.13039/501100000925
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10.13039/100004440
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- WT096570, 100993/Z/13/Z
Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, Australian Government
10.13039/501100000934
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- European Union
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National Health and Medical Research Council
10.13039/501100000925
Region: Oceania
gov (National government)
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- NHMRC
Awards
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- APP1024678, APP1053801
Human Frontier Science Program
10.13039/501100000854
Region: Europe
pri (International organizations)
Labels
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- HFSP
Awards
1
- RGY007½011
Medical Research Council
10.13039/501100000265
Region: Europe
gov (National government)
Labels
3
- Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)
- UK Medical Research Council
- MRC
Awards
1
- MC_UP_A025_1013, MC_U105184332
OzeMalar
Wellcome Trust
10.13039/100004440
WellcomeAwards
1
- WT096570, 100993/Z/13/Z
Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, Australian Government
10.13039/501100000934
Awards
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- FT100100112
Australian Research Council
10.13039/501100000923
Region: Oceania
gov (Other non-profit organizations)
Labels
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- arc_gov_au
- The Australian Research Council
- Australian Government Australian Research Council (ARC)
- ARC
Awards
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- FT100100112
Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Support
European Commission
10.13039/501100000780
Region: Europe
gov (National government)
Labels
26
- European Union
- Comisión Europea
- Europäische Kommission
- EU-Kommissionen
- Euroopa Komisjoni
- Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής
- Европейската комисия
- Evropské komise
- Commission européenne
- Choimisiúin Eorpaigh
- Europskoj komisiji
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- La Commissione europea
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@article{Wong_2014, title={Cryo-EM structure of the Plasmodium falciparum 80S ribosome bound to the anti-protozoan drug emetine}, volume={3}, ISSN={2050-084X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/elife.03080}, DOI={10.7554/elife.03080}, journal={eLife}, publisher={eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd}, author={Wong, Wilson and Bai, Xiao-chen and Brown, Alan and Fernandez, Israel S and Hanssen, Eric and Condron, Melanie and Tan, Yan Hong and Baum, Jake and Scheres, Sjors HW}, year={2014}, month=jun }