Parasitic apicomplexans harbor a chlorophyll a-D1 complex, the potential target for therapeutic triazines

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Abstract
Ultrastructural evidence is presented for the presence of plastid-like organelles inToxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis muris, Babesia ovis, andPlasmodium falciparum. In addition, it was shown that merozoites ofT. gondii contain protochlorophyllidaea and traces of chlorophylla bound to the photosynthetic reaction centers I PS I and PS II. ApsbA gene was isolated from merozoites ofS. muris by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Partial sequencing of the PCR product revealed that the herbicide-binding region is highly conserved. Therefore, it is likely that the sensitivity of apicomplexans to the herbicide toltrazuril depends on the interaction of the herbicide with the D1 protein of the photosynthetic reaction center of the parasite's organelles.