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Molecular interactions governing host-specificity of blood stage malaria parasites.

ABSTRACT: Non-human primates harbor diverse species of malaria parasites, including the progenitors of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Cross-species transmission of some malaria parasites-most notably the macaque parasite, Plasmodium knowlesi-continues to this day, compelling the scientific community to ask whether these zoonoses could impede malaria control efforts by acting as a source of recurrent human infection. Host-restriction varies considerably among parasite species and is governed by both ecological and molecular variables. In particular, the efficiency of red blood cell invasion constitutes a prominent barrier to zoonotic emergence. Although proteins expressed upon the erythrocyte surface exhibit considerable diversity both within and among hosts, malaria parasites have adapted to this heterogeneity via the expansion of protein families associated with invasion, offering redundant mechanisms of host cell entry. This molecular toolkit may enable some parasites to circumvent host barriers, potentially yielding host shifts upon subsequent adaptation. Recent studies have begun to elucidate the molecular determinants of host-specificity, as well as the mechanisms that malaria parasites use to overcome these restrictions. We review recent studies concerning host tropism in the context of erythrocyte invasion by focusing on three malaria parasites that span the zoonotic spectrum: P. falciparum, P. knowlesi, and P. vivax.

SUBMITTER: Scully EJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5733638 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Molecular interactions governing host-specificity of blood stage malaria parasites.

Scully Erik J EJ Kanjee Usheer U Duraisingh Manoj T MT

Current opinion in microbiology 20171031

Non-human primates harbor diverse species of malaria parasites, including the progenitors of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Cross-species transmission of some malaria parasites-most notably the macaque parasite, Plasmodium knowlesi-continues to this day, compelling the scientific community to ask whether these zoonoses could impede malaria control efforts by acting as a source of recurrent human infection. Host-restriction varies considerably among parasite species and is governed b ...[more]

PMID: 29096194

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Project description:Microarray studies using synchronized Plasmodium falciparum parasites have revealed a ‘continuous cascade’ of gene expression. Reports vary regarding the stability in these transcriptional patterns in the presence of external stressors. Using Plasmodium yoelii 17X parasites replicating in vivo, we have examined differential gene expression in parasites isolated from individual mice, from independent infections, during ascending and peak parasitemia and in the presence and absence of host antibody responses. Across experimental conditions, transcription was surprisingly stable. Differential gene expression was greatest when comparing differences due to parasite load and/or host cell availability; however, even these changes were modest. Of genes that were differentially expressed, many are of unknown function. There was little to no differential expression of members of the yir and pyst-a multigene families, although a relatively large number of these were expressed during blood-stage infection regardless of experimental condition. Taken together, these results indicate that 1) P. yoelii gene expression remains stable in the presence of a changing host environment and 2) concurrent expression of a large number of the yir and pyst-a genes may function to divert host immune responses away from invariant protective antigens. 1. P. yoelii 17X gene expression profiles were determined in blood-stage parasites isolated from infected Balb/c mice (male, 8-12 weeks old) as follows: a. Mouse 1 (M1), Mouse 2 (M2), Mouse 3 (M3), Donor (D) mouse – three mice simultaneously infected with P. yoelii 17X iRBCs from a single donor mouse. Parasite RNA was isolated early during infection when parasitemia was ascending as follows: M1 - day 11 at 13.0% parasitemia; M2 - day 10 at 11.1% parasitemia; M3 - day 10 at 18.6% parasitemia; D – day 11 at 18.7% parasitemia. b. Infection #1 (I1), infection #2 (I2), infection #3 (I3), infection #4 (I4) – four groups of mice infected on four separate occasions using P. yoelii 17X iRBCs obtained from four separate donor mice. In each case, P. yoelii 17X RNA was isolated from iRBCs obtained on days 10-11 of infection when parasitemia was ascending and was ~15%. c. Day 10 (D10), Day 14 (D14) – P. yoelii 17X RNA isolated from iRBCs during infection #2 on day 10 (14% parasitemia, 14.4% reticulocytes) and on day 14 of infection #2 (43.5% parasitemia, 57.9% reticulocytes). d. WT and JHD - P. yoelii 17X RNA isolated from iRBCs during infection #4 from immunologically intact, wild-type Balb/c mice and B cell deficient, JHD mice on a Balb/c background (ascending infection, 15% parasitemia). e. QA and RMP - P. yoelii 17X RNA isolated from iRBCs during infection #1 from mice previously immunized with a preparation of membrane proteins isolated from P. yoelii 17X infected reticulocytes (PyRMP) (day 12, 13.3% parasitemia and Quil A immunized (QA) control mice (day 10, 15.6% parasitemia) 2. On each array, gene expression in P. yoelii 17X blood-stage parasites was evaluated relative to a standard comparator of purified P. yoelii 17XL total RNA (pooled RNA from 45 mice, mean parasitemia ~35%). Each sample was analyzed on three replicate arrays, one of which was a standard dye-flip. One exception was the infection #3 sample which was analyzed on only on two arrays. On each array, oligonucleotides were spotted in duplicate. 3. Through the use of the standard reference RNA, the following 15 pairwise comparisons across samples were made: (M1 vs M2); (M2 vs M3); (M1 vs M3); (D vs M1); (D vs M2); (D vs M3); (I1 vs I2); (I1 vs I3); (I1 vs I4); (I2 vs I3); (I2 vs I4); (I3 vs I4); (D10 vs D14); (WT vs JHD); (QA vs RMP)

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Molecular interactions governing host-specificity of blood stage malaria parasites.

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Molecular interactions governing host-specificity of blood stage malaria parasites.

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