ABSTRACT: Single cell analysis reveals transcriptional heterogeneity and tightly regulated changes in gene expression during Plasmodium berghei sporozoite development
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of gametocyte non-producer lines in Plasmodium berghei Transcriptome of gametocyte non producer lines (natural and genetic KO) and parental (820) lines. The aim of the study was to identify key genes involved in the decision to commit to gametocytogenesis in Plasmodium berghei. These microarrays compare naturally selected lines that do not produce gametocytes, and the parental line and additionally a genetic knock out of AP2-G PBANKA_143750. Data published Sinha, Hughes, et, al Nature tbc.
Project description:We have used cDNA microarrays to compare gene expression profiles in brains from normal mice to those infected with the Anka strain of Plasmodium berghei, a model of cerebral malaria. For each of three brains in each group, we computed ratios of all quantifiable genes with a composite reference sample and then computed ratios of gene expression in infected brains with untreated controls. Of the almost 12,000 unigenes adequateluy quantified in all arrays, about 3% were significantly downregulated (p<0.05, >50% fold change) and about 7% were upregulated. Upon inspection of the lists of regulated genes, we identified a high number encoding proteins of importance to normal brain function or associated with neuropathology. These results emphasize the important impact of malarial infection on gene expression in brain and provide tentative target biomarkers that might provide novel therapeutic targets for neurological sequelae of disease.
