STRUCTURAL SIMILARITIES AMONG MALARIA TOXINS, INSULIN 2ND-MESSENGER, AND BACTERIAL-ENDOTOXIN

Malaria toxin causes hypoglycemia and induction of tumor necrosis fact or. Extracts of parasitized erythrocytes which were coeluted and copur ified with one of the two subtypes of mammalian insulin-mimetic inosit ophosphoglycans similarly induced fibroblast proliferation in the abse nce of serum. In addition, induction of tumor necrosis factor in macro phages by malaria toxin and by lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia col i was enhanced by pretreatment of these toxins with alpha-galactosidas e. Thus, parasitized erythrocytes contain both soluble inositophosphog lycan-like insulin second messengers and endotoxin-like lipid molecule s.