Mitochondrial proteome of the apicomplexan Babesia divergens.

Babesia divergens mitochondrial proteome comprises 525 proteins, revealing conserved and unique features across apicomplexan parasites, including two mitochondrial isocitrate dehydrogenase homologs.

• Why it matters: Understanding the mitochondrial proteome of Babesia divergens fills a critical knowledge gap, as current therapies target only a few mitochondrial proteins, limiting drug development options for babesiosis.
• What they did: Researchers combined organelle immunoprecipitation, density gradient separation, and mass spectrometry to create BdMitoCarta, the first comprehensive mitochondrial protein inventory for B. divergens.
• The result: This proteome enables insights into mitochondrial functions and evolution in apicomplexans, providing a valuable resource for developing targeted therapies against Babesia infections.