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Phosphofructokinase Structure Enables Rational Drug Design
Figure 1. Surface representation of T. brucei PFK-1 |
Trypanosoma brucei is a unicellular parasitic protozoan that infects human and animal hosts and causes the fatal disease, Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as African sleeping sickness. HAT is endemic in over thirty countries, where approximately 60 million people are exposed to the parasite (World Health Organization 2006). Martinez-Oyanedel et al. (2006) solved the first crystal structure of a eukaryotic phosphofructokinase from the trypanosome, T. brucei. Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is an important enzyme in glycolysis. The structure of T. brucei PFK will enable rational design analysis of anti-parasitic drugs that target glycolytic energy production in this parasite. |
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