Mapping parasite mitochondria reveals ancient pathways and dozens of potential new drug targets
A multi-institutional research team has mapped the mitochondrial proteomes of five deadly parasites, revealing ancient evolutionary pathways. These findings identify potential new drug targets that could treat multiple diseases simultaneously.
Why it matters
Mapping these proteins provides a blueprint for developing new, more effective drugs for neglected tropical diseases that affect nearly a billion people.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Giardia lamblia , which causes giardiasis, shown here in its active, dividing form. The green dots mark the simplified mitochondrion-related organelles. Credit: Manish Goyal, Samuelson Lab / Boston University Cut the power, and the machine stops. That was part of the motivation behind a four-year effort to map all the proteins in the mitochondria —often called the powerhouse of the cell—of the parasites that cause sleeping sickness, giardiasis, leishmaniasis and babesiosis, diseases that together affect nearly a billion people every year.
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