Calcium ions are ubiquitous and versatile signaling molecules, capable of decoding a
variety of extracellular stimuli (hormones, neurotransmitters, growth factors, etc.) into …

The malaria parasite is a unicellular eukaryotic organism which, during the course of its
complex life cycle, invades the red blood cells of its vertebrate host. As it grows and …

Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are endocytic structures that contain small vesicles formed by
the budding of an endosomal membrane into the lumen of the compartment. Fusion of MVBs …

Two subclasses of quinoline antimalarial drugs are used clinically. Both act on the
endolysosomal system of malaria parasites, but in different ways. Treatment with 4 …

Apicomplexan parasites have complex life cycles, frequently split between different hosts
and reliant on rapid responses as the parasites react to changing environmental conditions …

* Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São
Paulo 05508-90, Brasil† Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Sperimentali, Centro CNR …

Calcium-mediated microneme secretion inToxoplasma gondii is stimulated by contact with
host cells, resulting in the discharge of adhesins that mediate attachment. The intracellular …

The calcium ion (Ca2+) is used as a major signaling molecule in a diverse range of
eukaryotic cells including several human parasitic protozoa, such as Trypanosoma cruzi …

Malaria parasites, Plasmodia, spend most of their asexual life cycle within red blood cells,
where they proliferate and mature. The erythrocyte cytoplasm has very low [Ca2+](< 100 …

The acidocalcisome is an electron-dense acidic organelle which contains a matrix of
pyrophosphate and polyphosphates with bound calcium and other cations. Its limiting …