Zininga Group
?GROUP LEADER: Dr Tawanda Zininga??
??Position: Lecturer
Office: A101 JC Smuts Building
Phone: +27-(0)21-808-5870
Fax: ?+27-(0)21-808-5863
Email: tzininga@sun.ac.za
Educational and Professional Background?
Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 SA (2020)
PostDoctoral fellow, Department of Biochemistry, 中国体育彩票 of Venda SA (2016-2019)
PhD Biochemistry (中国体育彩票 of Venda, SA, 2016)
Msc Molecular Biology (Staffordshire 中国体育彩票, UK,2012)
Honours in Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Sciences (中国体育彩票 of Zimbabwe, ZW, 2005)
Research Emphasis
Cell Stress Biology, Protein Folding, Biomarkers, Antimalarial drug design & Discovery?
Research Summary
The Zininga Group focuses on investigating the role of molecular chaperones in protein folding in cells under stress. Our main focus is on the malaria agents Plasmodium spp. The parasites are dependent on a robust protein folding machinery for their survival in stressful environments. We hope to understand the parasite protein folding system and we intend to apply the knowledge to other diseases.
Selected Publications
Full list of publications on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tawanda_Zininga
Zininga, T. and Shonhai A. (2014) Are heat shock proteins druggable candidates? American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 10: 211-213.
Zininga, T., Achilonu, I., Hoppe, H., Prinsloo, E. Dirr, HW. Shonhai A (2016). Plasmodium falciparum Hsp70-z (Hsp110c) exhibits independent chaperone activity and interacts with Hsp70-1 in a nucleotide dependent fashion. Cell Stress and Chaperones, 21(3): 499–513.
Makhoba, XH, Burger, A. Coertzen, D., Zininga, T., Birkholtz, L-M., Shonhai, A. (2016). Use of a chimeric Hsp70 to enhance the quality of recombinant Plasmodium falciparum S-Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase protein produced in Escherichia coli. PLOS One 11(3): e0152626.
Zininga T. Pooe, OJ, Makhado, PB, Ramatsui, L, Prinsloo, E, Achilonu, I, Dirr, H, Shonhai, A. (2017). Polymyxin B inhibits the chaperone activity of Plasmodium falciparum Hsp70. Cell Stress and Chaperones, 22(5): 707-715
Zininga, T., Ramatsui, L., Shonhai, A. (2018) Heat shock proteins as Immunomodulants. Molecules, 23 (11), 2846.
Chakafana, G, Zininga, T, Shonhai, A. (2019) Comparative structure-function features of Hsp70s of Plasmodium falciparum and human origins. Biophysical Reviews, 11, 591–602.
Zininga T, Shonhai A. (2019) Small molecule inhibitors targeting the heat shock protein system of human obligate protozoan parasites. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 20(23): e5930. ?
