NOT Open Access | Characterization of mitochondrial carrier proteins of malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum based on in vitro translation and reconstitution
Members of the mitochondrial carrier (MC) family of membrane transporters play important roles in cellular metabolism. We previously established an in vitro reconstitution system for membrane transporters based on wheat germ cell-free translation system. We have now applied this reconstitution system to the comparative analysis of MC proteins from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We synthesized twelve putative P. falciparum MCs and determined the transport activities of four of these proteins including PF3D7_1037300 protein (ADP/ATP translocator), PF3D7_1004800 protein (ADP/ATP translocator), PF3D7_1,202,200 protein (phosphate carrier), and PF3D7_1241600 protein (S-adenosylmethionine transporter).