Archives of Parasitology
Open Access

Biography

Dr. Jerapan Krungkrai is a contributor to understanding of the Plasmodium pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway and mitochondrial electron transport system. He received his PhD in 1986 in the Department of Biochemistry at Mahidol University (Bangkok, Thailand), where he investigated the folate biosynthetic pathway and from 1988 to 1991 was a biomedical fellow at the Rockefeller University (New York, NewYork, USA), studying the pyrimidine pathway. He was appointed to the Department of Biochemistry Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok, Thailand) in 1987 and rose to the rank of professor in 2001. From 1980-1989, he investigated enzymes in the malarial parasite: superoxide dismutase, catalase, Ca-pump, GTP cyclohydrolase, methionine synthase (of folate and one-carbon transferring pathway) and from 1990 to 2002 the biochemistry of mitochondrion and de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. His more recent work (2003-present) has focused on the use of recombinant DNA technology , structural biology and proteomic approach for studying the enzymes of cellular pH regulation and the pyrimidine pathway, especially carbonic anhydrase, dihydroorotase, dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase.

Research Interest

Dr. Jerapan Krungkrai research interest includes understanding of the Plasmodium pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway, mitochondrial electron transport system, use of recombinant DNA technology and structural biology.

Publications

Malaria Parasite Pyrimidine Nucleotide Metabolism: A Promising Drug Target