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Table 2 Comparison of some essential metabolic pathways among common apicomplexan parasitesa

From: Comparative genomics reveals Cyclospora cayetanensis possesses coccidia-like metabolism and invasion components but unique surface antigens

Category

Metabolic pathway

Cpar

Pfal

Bbov

Tgon

Eten

Ccay

Carbohydrate and energy metabolism

Glycolysis

+

+

+

+

+

+

Degradation of propionyl-CoA into pyruvate and succinate

-

-

-

+

-

+

TCA cycle

-

+

+

+

+

+

Pentose phosphate pathway

-

+

+

+

+

+

Shikimate biosynthesis

-

+

-

+

+

+

Folate biosynthesis

-

+

-

+

+

+

Synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin/dihydrobiopterin/molybdopterin

-

-

-

+

-

-

Galactose metabolism

-

-

-

+

+

+

Synthesis of starch

+

-

-

+

+

+

Synthesis of trehalose

+

-

+

+

+

+

Synthesis of 1,3-beta-glucan

-

-

-

+

+

+

Conversion between UDP-Glc and UDP-Gal

+

-

-

+

+

+

Conversion between GDP-Man and GDP-Fuc

-

+

-

+

+

+

Conversion of UDP-Glc to UDP-GlcA then to UDP-Xyl

+

-

-

-

-

-

Synthesis of mannitol from mannose or fructose

+

-

-

-

+

+

Fatty acid biosynthesis in cytosol (FAS I)

+

-

-

+

+

+

Fatty acid biosynthesis in apicoplast (FAS II)

-

+

-

+

+

+

Fatty acid degradation

-

-

-

+

+

+

Oxidative phosphorylation (NADH dehydrogenase)

+

+

+

+

+

+

Oxidative phosphorylation (Complex II)

-

+

+

+

+

+

Oxidative phosphorylation (Complex III)

-

+

+

+

+

+

Oxidative phosphorylation (Complex IV)

-

+

+

+

+

+

F-ATPase

2 subunits

+

+

+

+

+

V-ATPase

+

+

+

+

+

+

Glyoxalase metabolism producing D-lactate

-

+

+

+

+

+

Synthesis of isoprene (MEP/DOXP)

-

+

+

+

+

+

Nucleotide metabolism

Synthesis of purine rings de novo

-

-

-

-

-

-

Synthesis of pyrimidine de novo

-

+

+

+

+

+

Amino acid metabolism

Synthesis of alanine from pyruvate

-

-

-

+

+

+

Synthesis of glutamate from nitrite/nitrate

-

+

+

+

+

+

Conversion from glutamate to glutamine

+

+

-

+

+

-

Synthesis of aspartate from oxaloacetate and glutamate

-

+

+

+

+

+

Conversion from aspartate to asparagine

+

+

-

+

+

+

Conversion from glutamate to proline

+

-

-

+

+

+

Synthesis of serine from glycerate/glycerol phosphate

-

-

-

+

+

+

Conversion from serine to cysteine

-

-

-

+

+

+

Conversion from serine to glycine

+

+

+

+

+

+

Recycle homocysteine into methionine

-

+

-

+

-

-

Synthesis of lysine from aspartate

-

-

-

+

-

-

Synthesis of threonine from aspartate

-

-

-

+

-

-

Synthesis of ornithine from arginine

-

+

-

-

-

-

Synthesis of ornithine from proline

-

+

-

+

+

+

Synthesis of polyamine from ornithine

-

+

-

-

-

-

Polyamine pathway backward

+

-

-

+

+

+

Degradation of leucine to acetyl-CoA

-

-

-

+

-

-

Degradation of isoleucine/valine

-

-

-

+

+

+

Aromatic amino acid hydroxylases (AAAH)

-

-

-

+

-

-

Vitamin and others

Synthesis of thiamine (vitamin B1)

-

+

-

-

-

-

Conversion from thiamine to thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP)

-

+

-

+

-

+

Synthesis of FMN/FAD from riboflavin

-

+

+

+

+

+

Synthesis of pyridoxal phosphate (vitamin B6) de novo

-

+

-

+

-

-

Synthesis of NAD(P) + de novo from nicotinate/nicotinamide

-

+

-

+

+

+

Synthesis of pantothenate from valine

-

-

-

+

+

+

Synthesis of CoA from pantothenate

+

+

+

+

+

+

Synthesis of lipoic acid de novo in apicoplast

-

+

-

+

+

+

Salvage lipoic acid in mitochondria

-

+

+

+

-

+

Synthesis of porphyrin/cytochrome proteins

-

+

-

+

+

+

  1. aPlus symbol denotes that the essential enzymes for pathways were identified, whereas minus symbol denotes that the essential enzymes for pathways were absent. Only 2 subunits of the F-type ATPase are present in Cryptosporidium parvum. Abbreviation: Cryptosporidium parvum (Cpar); Plasmodium falciparum (Pfal); Babesia bovis (Bbov); Toxoplasma gondii (Tgon); Eimeria tenella (Eten); Cyclospora cayetanensis (Ccay)