This book discusses in detail the structural, evolutionary and functional role of actin and its regulatory proteins in gliding motility in apicomplexan organisms, a unique phenomenon found in actin-myosin cytoskeletal elements. The book also explores the potential of different actin regulators, namely formin, profilin, actin depolymerization factor (ADF), capping proteins (CPa and CPß), cyclase-associated protein (CAP) and coronin 13-24 as potential drug targets against malaria. As the chief components of the gliding motor, the actin-regulator proteins are characterized by unique features that make them promising targets for structure-based drug design. Lastly, the book proposes a mathematical model, based on kinetic data mining, to help understand the most vital regulators for actin polymerization dynamics.

Dr. Avinash Kale is a Reader at the School of Chemical Sciences, UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Mumbai, India. His research interests are in the area of integrative structure biology and proteomics (ISBAP). He has more than 16 years of teaching experience in computational biology, biotechnology, molecular modeling and drug design, group theory, spectroscopy, and bioinformatics. He has served as a reviewer for a number of international journals, including the Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics (USA), and Nature Scientific Reports (USA).