Illuminating Host-Parasite Interaction at the Cellular and Subcellular Levels with Infrared Microspectroscopy (2022)
Journal Article
Elsheikha, H. M., Al-Sandaqchi, A. T., Harun, M. S., Winterton, F., Altharawi, A., Elsaied, N. A., …Chan, K. L. A. (2022). Illuminating Host-Parasite Interaction at the Cellular and Subcellular Levels with Infrared Microspectroscopy. Cells, 11(5), Article 811. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11050811

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an opportunistic protozoan that can cause brain infection and other serious health consequences in immuno-compromised individuals. This parasite has a remarkable ability to cross biological barriers and exploit the ho... Read More about Illuminating Host-Parasite Interaction at the Cellular and Subcellular Levels with Infrared Microspectroscopy.

Everybody needs sphingolipids, right! Mining for new drug targets in protozoan sphingolipid biosynthesis (2017)
Journal Article
Mina, J., & Denny, P. (2018). Everybody needs sphingolipids, right! Mining for new drug targets in protozoan sphingolipid biosynthesis. Parasitology, 145(2), 134-147. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031182017001081

Sphingolipids (SLs) are an integral part of all eukaryotic cellular membranes. In addition, they have indispensable functions as signalling molecules controlling a myriad of cellular events. Disruption of either the de novo synthesis or the degradati... Read More about Everybody needs sphingolipids, right! Mining for new drug targets in protozoan sphingolipid biosynthesis.

Functional and phylogenetic evidence of a bacterial origin for the first enzyme in sphingolipid biosynthesis in a phylum of eukaryotic protozoan parasites (2017)
Journal Article
Mina, J., Thye, J., Alqaisi, A., Bird, L., Dods, R., Groftehauge, M., …Denny, P. W. (2017). Functional and phylogenetic evidence of a bacterial origin for the first enzyme in sphingolipid biosynthesis in a phylum of eukaryotic protozoan parasites. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 292(29), 12208-12219. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m117.792374

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate, intracellular eukaryotic apicomplexan protozoan parasite that can cause fetal damage and abortion in both animals and humans. Sphingolipids are essential and ubiquitous components of eukaryotic membranes that are bot... Read More about Functional and phylogenetic evidence of a bacterial origin for the first enzyme in sphingolipid biosynthesis in a phylum of eukaryotic protozoan parasites.

Sphingolipid synthesis and scavenging in the intracellular apicomplexan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii (2013)
Journal Article
Pratt, S., Wansadhipathi-Kannangara, N., Bruce, C., Mina, J., Shams-Eldin, H., Casas, J., …Denny, P. (2013). Sphingolipid synthesis and scavenging in the intracellular apicomplexan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 87(1), 43-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molbiopara.2012.11.007

Sphingolipids are essential components of eukaryotic cell membranes, particularly the plasma membrane, and are involved in a diverse array of signal transduction pathways. Mammals produce sphingomyelin (SM) as the primary complex sphingolipid via the... Read More about Sphingolipid synthesis and scavenging in the intracellular apicomplexan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii.

Sphingolipid and ceramide homeostasis, potential therapeutic targets (2012)
Journal Article
Young, S., Mina, J., Denny, P., & Smith, T. (2012). Sphingolipid and ceramide homeostasis, potential therapeutic targets. Biochemistry Research International, 2012, Article 248135. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/248135

Sphingolipids are ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells where they have been attributed a plethora of functions from the formation of structural domains to polarized cellular trafficking and signal transduction. Recent research has identified and characteri... Read More about Sphingolipid and ceramide homeostasis, potential therapeutic targets.

Exploring Leishmania major inositol phosphorylceramide synthase (LmjIPCS): insights into the ceramide binding domain (2011)
Journal Article
Mina, J., Mosely, J., Ali, H., Denny, P., & Steel, P. (2011). Exploring Leishmania major inositol phosphorylceramide synthase (LmjIPCS): insights into the ceramide binding domain. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, 9(6), 1823-1830. https://doi.org/10.1039/c0ob00871k

The synthesis of set of ceramide analogues exploring hydrophobicity in the acyl chains and the degree and nature of hydroxylation is described. These have been assayed against the parasitic protozoan enzyme LmjIPCS. These studies showed that whilst t... Read More about Exploring Leishmania major inositol phosphorylceramide synthase (LmjIPCS): insights into the ceramide binding domain.

A plate-based assay system for analyses and screening of the Leishmania major inositol phosphorylceramide synthase (2010)
Journal Article
Mina, J., Mosely, J., Ali, H., Shams-Eldin, H., Schwarz, R., Steel, P., & Denny, P. (2010). A plate-based assay system for analyses and screening of the Leishmania major inositol phosphorylceramide synthase. International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 42(9), 1553-1561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocel.2010.06.008

Sphingolipids are key components of eukaryotic membranes, particularly the plasma membrane. The biosynthetic pathway for the formation of these lipid species is largely conserved. However, in contrast to mammals, which produce sphingomyelin, organism... Read More about A plate-based assay system for analyses and screening of the Leishmania major inositol phosphorylceramide synthase.

Functional analyses of differentially expressed isoforms of the Arabidopsis inositol phosphorylceramide synthase (2010)
Journal Article
Mina, J., Okada, Y., Wansadhipathi-Kannangara, N., Pratt, S., Shams-Eldin, H., Schwarz, R., …Denny, P. (2010). Functional analyses of differentially expressed isoforms of the Arabidopsis inositol phosphorylceramide synthase. Plant Molecular Biology, 73(4-5), 399-407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-010-9626-3

Sphingolipids are key components of eukaryotic plasma membranes that are involved in many functions, including the formation signal transduction complexes. In addition, these lipid species and their catabolites function as secondary signalling molecu... Read More about Functional analyses of differentially expressed isoforms of the Arabidopsis inositol phosphorylceramide synthase.

The Trypanosoma brucei sphingolipid synthase, an essential enzyme and drug target (2009)
Journal Article
Mina, J., Pan, S., Wansadhipathi, N., Bruce, C., Shams-Eldin, H., Schwarz, R., …Denny, P. (2009). The Trypanosoma brucei sphingolipid synthase, an essential enzyme and drug target. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 168(1), 16-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molbiopara.2009.06.002

Sphingolipids are important components of eukaryotic membranes, particularly the plasma membrane, and are involved in a diverse array of signal transduction processes. In the Eukaryota the biosynthetic pathway for the formation of these lipid species... Read More about The Trypanosoma brucei sphingolipid synthase, an essential enzyme and drug target.