Abstract

Malaria has been present since ancient time and remains a major global health problem in developing countries. Plas-modium falciparum belongs to the phylum Apicomplexan, largely contain disease-causing parasites and characterized by the presence of apicoplast. It is a very essential organelle of P. falciparum responsible for the synthesis of key mole-cules required for the growth of the parasite. Indispensable nature of apicoplast makes it a potential drug target. Calcium signaling is important in the establishment of malaria para-site inside the host. It has been involved in invasion and egress of merozoites during the asexual life cycle of the parasite. Calcium signaling also regulates apicoplast metabolism. There-fore, in this review, we will focus on the role of apicoplast in malaria biology and its metabolic regulation through Ca++ signaling.

• Keywords: malaria; Plasmodium falciparum; apicoplast; cal-cium signaling; transcription regulation