Intraerythrocytic cycle

Digestion of Hb and heme detoxication in hemozoin appears to be very critical steps in the intraerythrocytic cycle. By providing necessary amino acids to the parasite [16], the digestion of Hb is crucial for equilibrium of osmotic pressure in the parasitized RBC in order to prevent a premature lysis before the completion of the cell cycle [17]. Such processes also provide space for the parasite to increase in size. If about 70-80% of the host cell Hb is digested by the parasite [18], only about 16% of produced aminoacids are used for protein synthesis [16, 19]. 

Shakespeare, P. G., Trigg, P. I., Kyd, S. I., and Tappenden, L. (1979a). Glucose metabolism in the simian malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi Activities of the glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways during the intraerythrocytic cycle. Ann. Trap. Med. Parasitol. 73, 407-415. 

Bozdech Z, Llinas M, Pulliam BL et al (2003) The transcriptome of the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle of Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS Biol 1 E5... 

Gero, A. M., Brown, G. V., and O Sullivan, W. J. (1984). Pyrimidine de novo synthesis during the life cycle of the intraerythrocytic stage of Plasmodium falciparum, f. Parasitol. 70,536-541. 

Mitamura, T., Hanada, K., Ko-Mitamura, E. P., Nishijima, M., and Horii, T. (2000). Serum factors governing intraerythrocytic development and cell cycle progression of Plasmodium falciparum. Parasitol. Int. 49,219-229. 

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