TOBIOJ The Open Biology Journal Open Biol. J. 1874-1967 Bentham Open TOBIOJ-4-3 10.2174/1874196701104010003 Biology The Outward Rectifying Anions and Organic Osmolytes Conductance in Malaria-Infected Erythocytes: Myth or Reality? Duranton Christophe * 1 Valerie Tanneur 2 Michel Tauc 1 TIANP, CNRS-UMR 6097, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences, 06108 NICE, France Laboratoire de Génétique des Tumeurs Solides Faculté de Médecine, 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice, France Address correspondence to this author at the Aspects normaux et pathologiques, CNRS-UMR 6097, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, Bâtiment des Sciences Naturelles, Parc Valrose, 06108 NICE Cedex 2, France; Tel: 00334 92 07 68 94; Fax: 00334 92 07 68 50; E-mail: duranton@unice.fr 31 01 2011 2011 04 03 09 19 10 2009 26 03 2010 10 05 2010 © 2010 Duranton et al. 2011 Christophe Duranton

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Malaria-infected erythrocytes acquired New Permeability Pathways (NPPs) to meet the needs in nutrients and disposal of waste products of the intraerythocytic parasite development. The NPPs have been intensively studied for their putative interest as therapeutic targets for malaria treatment. Over the past 10 years, many electrophysiological studies have identified novel ion conductances (reflecting a part of the NPPs activities) in the host plasma membrane of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. In this article, we review the electrophysiological/biophysical properties of the malaria-induced outwardly rectifying anion conductance and compare this conductance to the other anion conductances and permeabilities already described in the literature.

 Keywords Patch-clamp red blood cells membrane permeability plasmodium malaria parasite