Download MendeleyCryo-EM structure of the Plasmodium falciparum 80S ribosome bound to the anti-protozoan drug emetine.
Wong, W., Bai, X.C., Brown, A., Fernandez, I.S., Hanssen, E., Condron, M., Tan, Y.H., Baum, J., Scheres, S.H.(2014) Elife 3: e03080-e03080
- PubMed: 24913268
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03080
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
3J79, 3J7A, 6OKK - PubMed Abstract:
Malaria inflicts an enormous burden on global human health. The emergence of parasite resistance to front-line drugs has prompted a renewed focus on the repositioning of clinically approved drugs as potential anti-malarial therapies. Antibiotics that inhibit protein translation are promising candidates for repositioning. We have solved the cryo-EM structure of the cytoplasmic ribosome from the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, in complex with emetine at 3.2 Å resolution. Emetine is an anti-protozoan drug used in the treatment of ameobiasis that also displays potent anti-malarial activity. Emetine interacts with the E-site of the ribosomal small subunit and shares a similar binding site with the antibiotic pactamycin, thereby delivering its therapeutic effect by blocking mRNA/tRNA translocation. As the first cryo-EM structure that visualizes an antibiotic bound to any ribosome at atomic resolution, this establishes cryo-EM as a powerful tool for screening and guiding the design of drugs that target parasite translation machinery.
Organizational Affiliation:
Division of Infection and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.
