Project description:The mRNA 5â² cap is normally essential for eukaryotic mRNA translation, stabilization and transport and both the cap and eIF4E are important elements of post-transcriptional gene regulation. To further our understanding of mRNA translation in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, we have investigated the parasite translation initiation factor eIF4E and its interaction with 5â² capped mRNA. We have purified P. falciparum eIF4E as a recombinant protein and demonstrated that it has canonical mRNA 5â² cap binding activity. We used this protein to purify P. falciparum full-length 5â² capped mRNAs from total parasite RNA. Microarray analysis comparing total and eIF4E-purified 5â² capped mRNAs shows that a subset of 34 features were more than two-fold under-represented in the purified RNA sample, including 19 features representative of nuclear transcripts. The uncapped nuclear transcripts may represent a class of mRNAs targeted for storage and cap removal. Keywords: total RNA vs purified capped mRNA The microarray data were obtained from four hybridizations using RNA from two independent GST-PfeIF4E purifications from separate malaria cultures.
Project description:The mRNA 5′ cap is normally essential for eukaryotic mRNA translation, stabilization and transport and both the cap and eIF4E are important elements of post-transcriptional gene regulation. To further our understanding of mRNA translation in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, we have investigated the parasite translation initiation factor eIF4E and its interaction with 5′ capped mRNA. We have purified P. falciparum eIF4E as a recombinant protein and demonstrated that it has canonical mRNA 5′ cap binding activity. We used this protein to purify P. falciparum full-length 5′ capped mRNAs from total parasite RNA. Microarray analysis comparing total and eIF4E-purified 5′ capped mRNAs shows that a subset of 34 features were more than two-fold under-represented in the purified RNA sample, including 19 features representative of nuclear transcripts. The uncapped nuclear transcripts may represent a class of mRNAs targeted for storage and cap removal. Keywords: total RNA vs purified capped mRNA
Project description:This experiment characterizes the transcriptome of the human malaria parasite, P. falciparum at 8 different stages of the intraerythrocytic cycle Examination of polyA selected RNA in Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain at 8 different stages using RNA-seq
Project description:To investigate the accumulation of non coding small RNAs we performed high throughput RNA sequencing on size selcted total RNA from malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level in Plasmodium falciparum male and female mature gametocytes, and detection of any transcriptional differences between male and female gametocytes. The Plasmodium falciparum parasite with green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression under the control of alpha tubulin II promoter facilitated the separation of male and female gametocyte. This engineered parasite strain in this study are further described in Miao J, Fan Q, Parker D, Li X, Li J, et al. (2013) Puf Mediates Translation Repression of Transmission-Blocking Vaccine Candidates in Malaria Parasites. PLoS Pathog 9(4): e1003268. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003268
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 delta-PfPuf2 mutant, compared to the wild-type strain 3D7. The mutation engineered into this strain render tanslational control. The mutants analyzed in this study are further described in Miao J, Li J, Fan Q, Li X, Li X, Cui L.2010. The Puf-family RNA-binding protein PfPuf2 regulates sexual development and sex differentiation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. J Cell Sci. 123(7):1039-49 (PMID 20197405).
Project description:Background: Host iron deficiency is protective against severe malaria as the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum depends on free iron from its host to proliferate. Due to the absence of transferrin, ferritin, ferroportin, and a functional heme oxygenase, the parasite’s essential pathways of iron acquisition, storage, export, and detoxification differ from those in humans and may thus be excellent targets for therapeutic development. However, the proteins involved in these processes in P. falciparum remain largely unknown. Experimental design: To identify iron-regulated mechanisms and putative iron transporters in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum 3D7, we carried out whole-transcriptome profiling using bulk RNA-sequencing. The parasites were cultured either using erythrocytes from a donors with high, medium (healthy) or low iron status (experiment 1); or with red blood cells from another healthy donor in the presence or absence of 0.7 µM hepcidin, a specific ferroportin inhibitor and iron-regulatory hormone (experiment 2). This concentration of hepcidin was reported to reduce binding of ferrous iron to ferroportin by 50% in vitro (39). Samples from three biological replicates each were harvested at the ring and trophozoite stage (6 – 9 and 26 – 29 hours post invasion, hpi) during the second intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle under the conditions specified.
Project description:Investigation of overall expression level in Plasmodium falciparum male and female mature gametocytes, and detection of any transcriptional differences between male and female gametocytes. The Plasmodium falciparum parasite with green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression under the control of alpha tubulin II promoter facilitated the separation of male and female gametocyte. This engineered parasite strain in this study are further described in Miao J, Fan Q, Parker D, Li X, Li J, et al. (2013) Puf Mediates Translation Repression of Transmission-Blocking Vaccine Candidates in Malaria Parasites. PLoS Pathog 9(4): e1003268. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003268
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 delta-PfPuf2 mutant, compared to the wild-type strain 3D7. The mutation engineered into this strain render tanslational control. The mutants analyzed in this study are further described in Miao J, Li J, Fan Q, Li X, Li X, Cui L.2010. The Puf-family RNA-binding protein PfPuf2 regulates sexual development and sex differentiation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. J Cell Sci. 123(7):1039-49 (PMID 20197405). A 12 chip study using total RNA recovered from six separate wild-type cultures of Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 at gametocyte stage III (three cultures) and stage V (three cultures) and six separate cultures of dalta PfPuf2 mutant at gametocyte stage III (three cultures) and stage V (three cultures). Each chip measures the expression level of 5,367 genes from Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 with 45-60 mer probes with two replicates on final array of 71618 probes.