Fatty Acid Metabolism in Plasmodium falciparum:Elongation and Desaturation in Minimal Media

Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest of the malaria parasites, rapidly grows and divides in the human blood stage of its life cycle. It has a high demand for lipid production. Instead of biosynthesis, however, it is thought that P. falciparum has the ability to modify fatty acids through elongation or desaturation. This biochemistry is best visualized if metabolic labels are not diluted. Utilization of minimal media and LC/MS confirms with high resolution the parasite's ability to elongate fatty acids.