The status of zinc in malaria (Plasmodium falciparum) infected human red blood cells: stage dependent accumulation, compartmentation and effect of dipicolinate

Hagai Ginsburg*, Raphael Gorodetsky, Miriam Krugliak

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

The inhibitory effect of metal chelators on intraerythrocytic malarial parasites imply that trace metal have a vital role in the biology of these organisms. In the present work X-ray fluorometry was used to study the status of zinc and iron in human red blood cells infected with Plasmodium falciparum in culture conditions. It was found that while the iron level remains constant throughout the parasite cell cycle, that of zinc increases in parallel with parasite maturation to reach a 2.3-fold higher level than that of uninfected red blood cells. Compartment analysis of infected red blood cells indicated that most of this gain was associated with the parasite and some with the host-cell membrane. Analysis of the malarial pigment showed that the zinc/iron ratio was similar to that of red blood cells, implying the this compound, which results from the digestion of host-cell cytosol, sequesters the zinc of host metalloenzymes. Dipicolinic acid (DPA), like other chelators, was found to inhibit the intracellular development of the parasite with an ED50 of 1 mM. DPA does not penetrate into normal red blood cells but readily permeates into infected cells, although it does not leach out their zinc. It is uncertain whether the inhibitory effect of DPA is exerted through alterations of host cell metabolism or by directly affecting that of the parasite. The putative receptors of zinc in the infected red blood cell are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)337-344
Number of pages8
JournalBiochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Cell Research
Volume886
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 29 May 1986

Keywords

  • (P. falciparum)
  • Dipicolinic acid
  • Human erythrocytes
  • Iron
  • Malaria culture
  • X-ray fluorometry
  • Zinc

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