TOBIOJ The Open Biology Journal Open Biol. J. 1874-1967 Bentham Open TOBIOJ-4-10 10.2174/1874196701104010010 Biology Protein Kinase-Regulated Inwardly Rectifying Anion and Organic Osmolyte Channels in Malaria-Infected Erythrocytes Bouyer Guillaume L.Y. Thomas Serge Egée Stéphane * 1 2 3 Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UMR 7150, Equipe Physiologie Comparée des Erythrocytes, Station Biologique, B. P. 74, 29682 Roscoff cedex, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7150, Equipe Physiologie Comparée des Erythrocytes, Station Biologique, B. P. 74, 29682 Roscoff cedex, France Université Européenne de Bretagne, UMR 7150, Equipe Physiologie Comparée des Erythrocytes, Station Biologique, B. P. 74, 29682 Roscoff cedex, France Address correspondence to this author at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UMR 7150, Equipe Physiologie Comparée des Erythrocytes, Station Biologique, B. P. 74, 29682 Roscoff cedex, France; Tel: (33) 02 98 29 23 82; E-mail: egee@sb-roscoff.fr 31 01 2011 2011 04 10 17 20 09 2009 15 03 2010 16 03 2010 © 2010 Bouyer et al. 2011 Guillaume Bouyer

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The intraerythrocytic amplification of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum induces new pathways of solute permeability in the host cell's membrane. These pathways play a pivotal role in parasite development by supplying the parasite with nutrients, disposing of the parasite's metabolic waste and organic osmolytes, and adapting the host's electrolyte composition to the parasite's needs. During the last ten years, electrophysiological investigations strongly supported earlier evidence obtained by transport and pharmacological studies that this new permeability pathway, which is induced by the parasite in the host cell membrane, is constituted by anion-selective channels. This review surveys the evidences acquired using the patch-clamp technique and discuss the hypothesis that protein kinase A is an effector of the signalling pathway leading to the activation of endogenous channels upon infection.

 Keywords Erythrocyte Plasmodium new permeation pathways protein kinase A ion channel