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Research the Literature on your OwnIt turns out there is one apicomplexan parasite that does NOT have a plastid! What organism is this, why might it lack a plastid, and what are the implications of this difference, both in terms of parasite biology and potential drug targets? What drugs are currently on the market or in development for treating diseases caused by apicomplexan parasites (e.g. malaria, toxoplasmosis, etc)? Which ones target the apicoplast and how do they work? What is “phylogenomics” and how was it used to help identify the origin of the plastid? There are many instances of endosymbiosis in nature. A particularly interesting one is found in certain parasitic worms and involves a bacterium called Wolbachia. What is this endosymbiotic relationship? Compare and contrast it with what you now know about the apicoplast.
How do you suppose proteins that traffic to the apicoplast are able to get across not one, not two, not three, but four membranes, in order to be delivered to the lumen of the organelle? |
