Abstract

Short note on Apicoplast: A Review of the Derived Plastid of Apicomplexan Parasites

Author(s): Masahiro Onuma

The apicoplast could be a granule organ, homologous to chloroplasts of plants, that’s found in apicomplexan parasites like the anorectic agents of protozoal infection Plasmodium spp. It happens throughout the Apicomplexa and is AN ancient feature of this cluster nonheritable by the process of endosymbiosis. Like plant chloroplasts, apicoplasts square measure semi-autonomous with their own order and expression machinery. Additionally, apicoplasts import numerous proteins encoded by nuclear genes. These nuclear genes for the most part derive from the endosymbiont through a method of intracellular sequence relocation. The exact role of a granule in parasites is unsure however early clues indicate synthesis of lipids, protoheme and isoprenoids as prospects. The assorted metabolic processes of the apicoplast square measure doubtless wonderful targets for drug therapy.