ArticlePLoS biology2011
Chemical rescue of malaria parasites lacking an apicoplast defines organelle function in blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum.
Article in PLoS biology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 276 papers.
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Who cites it
276 citing papers in PubMed, 526 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- A cytoskeleton-associated Plasmodium protein critical for organelle segregation.Nature communications · 2026Article
- A Novel Plasmodium berghei Protein, LSMP, Regulates Malaria Liver Stage Maturation.Molecular microbiology · 2026Article
- Aptamer-Based Biosensors for the Detection of Malaria.Biosensors · 2026Review
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- The mevalonate and methylerythritol phosphate pathways as therapeutic targets in protozoan parasites: from moonlighting enzymes to metabolic plasticity.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Review
- Discovery of Potent Antimalarial Agents Targeting Plasmodium falciparum DNA Gyrase B by Integrating Computational and Experimental Approaches.Chemical biology & drug design · 2026Article
- Article
- The spatial proteome of the Plasmodium falciparum schizont illuminates the composition and evolutionary trajectories of its organelles.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Identification of a Putative Metal Transporter in the Apicoplast of Malaria Parasites.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Effect of Stereochemistry on the Antiplasmodial Activity and Metabolomic Profile of Novel Tadalafil Analogues.ACS medicinal chemistry letters · 2026Article
- Mechanistic perspectives on antimalarial agents: from FDA-approved drugs to next-generation candidates.RSC advances · 2026Review
- Article
- Acyl Carrier Protein is Essential for Apicoplast Biogenesis in Malaria Parasites Independent of Fatty Acid Synthesis.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- An apicoplast-localized GTPase is essential formSphere · 2026Article
- Old drugs, new weapons: current trends in repurposing therapies against antimicrobial resistance.Journal of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences : a publication of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Societe canadienne des sciences pharmaceutiques · 2026Review
- An essential adaptor for apicoplast fission and inheritance in malaria parasites.Nature communications · 2025Article
- An Essential Adaptor for Apicoplast Fission and Inheritance in Malaria Parasites.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Decoding the Minimal Translation System of the Plasmodium falciparum Apicoplast: Essential tRNA-modifying Enzymes and Their Roles in Organelle Maintenance.Journal of molecular biology · 2025Article
216 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Plasmodium spp parasites harbor an unusual plastid organelle called the apicoplast. Due to its prokaryotic origin and essential function, the apicoplast is a key target for development of new anti-malarials. Over 500 proteins are predicted to localize to this organelle and several prokaryotic biochemical pathways have been annotated, yet the essential role of the apicoplast during human infection remains a mystery. Previous work showed that treatment with fosmidomycin, an inhibitor of non-mevalonate isoprenoid precursor biosynthesis in the apicoplast, inhibits the growth of blood-stage P. falciparum. Herein, we demonstrate that fosmidomycin inhibition can be chemically rescued by supplementation with isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), the pathway product. Surprisingly, IPP supplementation also completely reverses death following treatment with antibiotics that cause loss of the apicoplast. We show that antibiotic-treated parasites rescued with IPP over multiple cycles specifically lose their apicoplast genome and fail to process or localize organelle proteins, rendering them functionally apicoplast-minus. Despite the loss of this essential organelle, these apicoplast-minus auxotrophs can be grown indefinitely in asexual blood stage culture but are entirely dependent on exogenous IPP for survival. These findings indicate that isoprenoid precursor biosynthesis is the only essential function of the apicoplast during blood-stage growth. Moreover, apicoplast-minus P. falciparum strains will be a powerful tool for further investigation of apicoplast biology as well as drug and vaccine development.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.