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The Plasmodium Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle and Mitochondrial Metabolism

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Malaria

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Synonyms

Central carbon metabolism; Citric acid cycle; Krebs cycle

Definition

The mitochondrion of the malaria parasite harbors a number of metabolic pathways, including a fully functional tricarboxylic acid cycle, which constitutes a central hub of carbon metabolism. Enzymes required for the synthesis of several cofactors are also located within this organelle. Here the role of the TCA cycle and other biosynthetic pathways in intraerythrocytic asexual and gametocyte stages of Plasmodium spp. is summarized.

Introduction

All members of the genus Plasmodium, including P. falciparumthe major cause of malaria, possess a single mitochondrion that harbors enzymes required for oxidative phosphorylation, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and a number of other metabolic pathways. Until recently the extent to which some of these pathways were operable in the major developmental stages (sporozoite, asexual red blood cell (RBC), gametocyte, and mosquito vector (oocyst)) and their precise role...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, University of Melbourne, 3010, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Simon A. Cobbold & Malcolm J. McConville

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  1. Simon A. Cobbold
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  2. Malcolm J. McConville
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Correspondence to Simon A. Cobbold .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Heswall, United Kingdom

    Marcel Hommel

  2. Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Peter G. Kremsner

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Cobbold, S.A., McConville, M.J. (2014). The Plasmodium Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle and Mitochondrial Metabolism. In: Hommel, M., Kremsner, P. (eds) Encyclopedia of Malaria. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8757-9_13-1

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