Question

One promising area of research into the treatment or even vaccines against malaria is the apical complex (the origin of the group name, Apicomplexan). What is the apical complex? (Also called the apicoplast)? What is its function? Why does its evolutionary history make it such a desirable target for drugs?

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Answer 1

Apicomplexa is a group of organism such as coccidia ,gregarines,plasmodia.The name of apicocomplexa combination of two latin words apex means top and complexus means infolds. These are sporozoa organism including the phylum protozoa andmost them are parasites.

Most of the apicomplexa possess a unique form of organelle ,plastid known as apicoplast.apicoplast is very peculiar organell surrounded by four membrane.outer most layer is the part of endomembrane system.

Apicoplast has major role in the important metabolic pathways of the organism. The functions are

   Fatty acid synthesiswhich help to the invasion of parasite to the host cell.

   Isoprenoid synthesis is another function which are prosthetic group of many enzymes .

   Heme synthesis is the important fuction of apicoplast.heme and aminoacids are    

   synthesised by these organallewhich help to the development of the cell.

    various iron sulphur culstor synthesis also a major functtion of apicoplast.

The apicoplast may derived from red or green algae still cdomfusion existing.However these plastids are major adaptation the parasitic organisms.Apicoplast really help the parsites to invaid ton the host cell by changes of fatty acids in the cell membrane.So almost all the vaccination and antibiotic study is corelated to the apicoplast. Fore example plaswmodium species which cause to malaria, the antibiotic tetracyclin act on the plastids .These antibiotic maily targeting the apicoplast,prevent the parasite invasion to the cells.