Table 2.
Regulators and their action in Plasmodium cell cycles
| Regulator | Stage of life-cyclea | Cell cycle action | Gene ID | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyclin | Cyc1 | Erythrocytic stages (Pf) (peak expression in trophozoite) | Binds PfPK5 (in vitro) and PfMrk1 (in vivo). Role in segmentation | PF3D7_1463700; PBANKA_1233200 | [44, 46, 113] |
| Cyc3 | Oocyst formation (Pb) | Binds PfPK5 (in vitro) | PF3D7_0518400 (putative); PBANKA_1233200 | [6] | |
| Cyc4 | Unknown | Activates PfCrk-5 in vitro | PF3D7_1304700; PBANKA_1403200 (putative) | [43] | |
| CDKs | PK5 | Erythrocytic schizogony (Pf) | DNA synthesis | PF3D7_1356900; PBANKA_1133200 | [40, 45] |
| Mrk | Erythrocytic schizogony (Pf) (mRNA, however, more abundant in gametocytes than in asexuals) | Cytokinesis in erythrocytic schizogony (Pf). Transcriptional regulator? | PF3D7_1014400; PBANKA_1212800 | [38, 44, 46] | |
| PK6 | Erythrocytic schizogony (trophozoite) | Onset of S phase (cyclin independent) | PF3D7_1337100; PBANKA_1350900 | [47] | |
| Crks | Crk-1 | Gametocytes (Pf) Erythrocytic schizogony (Pb) | Transcriptional regulator | PF3D7_0417800; PBANKA_0719900 | [114, 115] |
| Crk-3 | Erythrocytic schizogony (Pf) | Transcriptional regulator | PF3D7_0415300; PBANKA_0717300 | [42] | |
| Crk-5 | Erythrocytic schizogony (Pf) | Proliferation - number of merozoites. Activated by Cyc 1 and 4 in vitro. Cyclin independent? | PF3D7_0615500; PBANKA_1230200 | [43] | |
| Other Kinases | CDPK4 | Gametogenesis (Pb) | Mitotic spindle assembly | PF3D7_0717500; PBANKA_0615200 | [28] |
| CDPK7 | Erythrocytic schizogony (Pf) | Unknown | PF3D7_1123100; PBANKA_0925200 | [53] | |
| Crk-4 | Erythrocytic schizogony (trophozoite/schizont) (Pf) | S phase | PF3D7_0317200; PBANKA_0808000 (putative) | [12] | |
| Nek-1 | Erthrocytic schizogony/Gametogenesis (Pb) | Mitosis | PF3D7_1228300; PBANKA_1443000 (putative) | [116] | |
| Nek-2 | Zygote (Pb) | Meiosis | PF3D7_0525900; PBANKA_1240700 | [49, 50] | |
| Nek-3 | Erythrocytic schizogony/Gametogenesis (Pb) | Unknown | PF3D7_1201600; PBANKA_0600600 (putative) | [117] | |
| Nek-4 | Zygote (Pb) | Meiosis | PF3D7_0719200; PBANKA_0616700 | [49, 50] | |
| Ark1 | Erythrocytic schizogony/Gametogenesis (Pb) | Mitotic spindle formation/ Cytokinesis | PF3D7_0605300; PBANKA_0104100 | [52] | |
| Ark2 | Erythrocytic schizogony/Gametogenesis (Pb) | Mitotic spindle formation/ Cytokinesis | PF3D7_0309200; PBANKA_0407400 | [52] | |
| Ark3 | Erythrocytic schizogony/Gametogenesis (Pb) | Mitotic spindle formation/ Cytokinesis | PF3D7_1356800; PBANKA_1133100 | [52] | |
aInformation has been compiled from studies completed with either Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) or Plasmodium berghei (Pb) as indicated