Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
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| influence of climate on malaria transmission depends on daily temperature variation. | malaria transmission is strongly influenced by environmental temperature, but the biological drivers remain poorly quantified. most studies analyzing malaria-temperature relations, including those investigating malaria risk and the possible impacts of climate change, are based solely on mean temperatures and extrapolate from functions determined under unrealistic laboratory conditions. here, we present empirical evidence to show that, in addition to mean temperatures, daily fluctuations in tempe ... | 2010 | 20696913 |
| insecticide control of vector-borne diseases: when is insecticide resistance a problem? | many of the most dangerous human diseases are transmitted by insect vectors. after decades of repeated insecticide use, all of these vector species have demonstrated the capacity to evolve resistance to insecticides. insecticide resistance is generally considered to undermine control of vector-transmitted diseases because it increases the number of vectors that survive the insecticide treatment. disease control failure, however, need not follow from vector control failure. here, we review eviden ... | 2010 | 20700451 |
| correction: activation of akt signaling reduces the prevalence and intensity of malaria parasite infection and lifespan in anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. | malaria (plasmodium spp.) kills nearly one million people annually and this number will likely increase as drug and insecticide resistance reduces the effectiveness of current control strategies. the most important human malaria parasite, plasmodium falciparum, undergoes a complex developmental cycle in the mosquito that takes approximately two weeks and begins with the invasion of the mosquito midgut. here, we demonstrate that increased akt signaling in the mosquito midgut disrupts parasite dev ... | 2010 | 20714345 |
| transgene-mediated suppression of dengue viruses in the salivary glands of the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. | controlled sex-, stage- and tissue-specific expression of antipathogen effector molecules is important for genetic engineering strategies to control mosquito-borne diseases. adult female salivary glands are involved in pathogen transmission to human hosts and are target sites for expression of antipathogen effector molecules. the aedes aegypti 30k a and 30k b genes are expressed exclusively in adult female salivary glands and are transcribed divergently from start sites separated by 263 nucleoti ... | 2010 | 20738425 |
| production of a transgenic mosquito expressing circumsporozoite protein, a malarial protein, in the salivary gland of anopheles stephensi (diptera: culicidae). | we are producing a transgenic mosquito, a flying syringe, to deliver a vaccine protein to human beings via the saliva the mosquito deposits in the skin while biting. the mosquito produces a vaccine protein in the salivary gland (sg) and deposits the protein into the host's skin when it takes the host's blood. we chose circumsporozoite protein (csp), currently the most promising malaria vaccine candidate, to be expressed in the sg of anopheles stephensi. to transform the mosquitoes, plasmid conta ... | 2010 | 20802540 |
| replacing adenoviral vector hvr1 with a malaria b cell epitope improves immunogenicity and circumvents preexisting immunity to adenovirus in mice. | although adenovirus (ad) has been regarded as an excellent vaccine vector, there are 2 major drawbacks to using this platform: (a) ad-based vaccines induce a relatively weak humoral response against encoded transgenes, and (b) preexisting immunity to ad is highly prevalent among the general population. to overcome these obstacles, we constructed an ad-based malaria vaccine by inserting a b cell epitope derived from a plasmodium yoelii circumsporozoite (cs) protein (referred to as the pycs-b epit ... | 2010 | 20811151 |
| multiple antigen peptide vaccines against plasmodium falciparum malaria. | the multiple antigen peptide (map) approach is an effective method to chemically synthesize and deliver multiple t-cell and b-cell epitopes as the constituents of a single immunogen. here we report on the design, chemical synthesis, and immunogenicity of three plasmodium falciparum map vaccines that incorporated antigenic epitopes from the sporozoite, liver, and blood stages of the life cycle. antibody and cellular responses were determined in three inbred (c57bl/6, balb/c, and a/j) strains, one ... | 2010 | 20823210 |
| naturally occurring triggers that induce apoptosis-like programmed cell death in plasmodium berghei ookinetes. | several protozoan parasites have been shown to undergo a form of programmed cell death that exhibits morphological features associated with metazoan apoptosis. these include the rodent malaria parasite, plasmodium berghei. malaria zygotes develop in the mosquito midgut lumen, forming motile ookinetes. up to 50% of these exhibit phenotypic markers of apoptosis; as do those grown in culture. we hypothesised that naturally occurring signals induce many ookinetes to undergo apoptosis before midgut t ... | 2010 | 20844583 |
| experimental evolution, genetic analysis and genome re-sequencing reveal the mutation conferring artemisinin resistance in an isogenic lineage of malaria parasites. | classical and quantitative linkage analyses of genetic crosses have traditionally been used to map genes of interest, such as those conferring chloroquine or quinine resistance in malaria parasites. next-generation sequencing technologies now present the possibility of determining genome-wide genetic variation at single base-pair resolution. here, we combine in vivo experimental evolution, a rapid genetic strategy and whole genome re-sequencing to identify the precise genetic basis of artemisini ... | 2010 | 20846421 |
| plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi malaria parasites can develop stable resistance to atovaquone with a mutation in the cytochrome b gene. | plasmodium falciparum, has developed resistance to many of the drugs in use. the recommended treatment policy is now to use drug combinations. the atovaquone-proguanil (ap) drug combination, is one of the treatment and prophylaxis options. atovaquone (atq) exerts its action by inhibiting plasmodial mitochondria electron transport at the level of the cytochrome bc1 complex. plasmodium falciparum in vitro resistance to atq has been associated with specific point mutations in the region spanning co ... | 2010 | 20492669 |
| electrophysiological, flight orientation and oviposition responses of three species of mosquito vectors to hexadecyl pentanoate: residual oviposition repellent activity. | understanding on the chemical ecology of mosquito behavior is of paramount importance in developing control programs employing attractants and repellents. several workers focused on topical repellents and oviposition attractants of mosquitoes, however, only limited work has been accomplished on mosquito oviposition repellents. the present systematic investigation provides evidence on the effectiveness of a c21 fatty acid ester- hexadecyl pentanoate, to stimulate antennal olfactory receptors of a ... | 2010 | 20496579 |
| the salivary gland transcriptome of the eastern tree hole mosquito, ochlerotatus triseriatus. | saliva of blood-sucking arthropods contains a complex mixture of peptides that affect their host's hemostasis, inflammation, and immunity. these activities can also modify the site of pathogen delivery and increase disease transmission. saliva also induces hosts to mount an antisaliva immune response that can lead to skin allergies or even anaphylaxis. accordingly, knowledge of the salivary repertoire, or sialome, of a mosquito is useful to provide a knowledge platform to mine for novel pharmaco ... | 2010 | 20496585 |
| pathogenicity of fusarium oxysporum against the larvae of culex quinquefasciatus (say) and anopheles stephensi (liston) in laboratory. | the entomopathogenic fungi fusarium oxysporum are the next generation mosquito controlling agent. f. oxysporum basically contains unique toxin and can be a selectively good agent in tropical countries. we are reporting here the efficacy of the metabolites of f. oxysporum against the larvae of anopheles stephensi and culex quinquefasciatus in the laboratory. f. oxysporum was grown on czapek dox broth. the bioassays were run at five different concentrations (1.30, 1.60, 1.77, 1.90, and 2.00 ppm). ... | 2010 | 20499096 |
| trypsin-like serine proteases in lutzomyia longipalpis--expression, activity and possible modulation by leishmania infantum chagasi. | midgut enzymatic activity is one of the obstacles that leishmania must surpass to succeed in establishing infection. trypsins are abundant digestive enzymes in most insects. we have previously described two trypsin cdnas of l. longipalpis: one (lltryp1) with a bloodmeal induced transcription pattern, the other (lltryp2) with a constitutive transcription pattern. we have now characterized the expression and activity of trypsin-like proteases of lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of visceral l ... | 2010 | 20502532 |
| comparison of plasmodium berghei challenge models for the evaluation of pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccines and their effect on perceived vaccine efficacy. | the immunological mechanisms responsible for protection against malaria infection vary among plasmodium species, host species and the developmental stage of parasite, and are poorly understood. a challenge with live parasites is the most relevant approach to testing the efficacy of experimental malaria vaccines. nevertheless, in the mouse models of plasmodium berghei and plasmodium yoelii, parasites are usually delivered by intravenous injection. this route is highly artificial and particularly ... | 2010 | 20507620 |
| presence of two alternative kdr-like mutations, l1014f and l1014s, and a novel mutation, v1010l, in the voltage gated na+ channel of anopheles culicifacies from orissa, india. | knockdown resistance in insects resulting from mutation(s) in the voltage gated na+ channel (vgsc) is one of the mechanisms of resistance against ddt and pyrethroids. recently a point mutation leading to leu-to-phe substitution in the vgsc at residue 1014, a most common kdr mutation in insects, was reported in anopheles culicifacies-a major malaria vector in the indian subcontinent. this study reports the presence of two additional amino acid substitutions in the vgsc of an an. culicifacies popu ... | 2010 | 20509922 |
| sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine impairs plasmodium falciparum gametocyte infectivity and anopheles mosquito survival. | sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (sp) is currently the drug of choice for intermittent preventive treatment of plasmodium falciparum both in pregnancy and infancy. a prolonged parasite clearance time conferred by dhfr and dhps mutations is believed to be responsible for increased gametocyte prevalence in sp treated individuals. however, using a direct feeding assay in mali, we showed that gametocytes present in peripheral venous blood post-sp treatment had reduced infectivity for anopheles gambiae sens ... | 2010 | 20515695 |
| crystal structure of arginase from plasmodium falciparum and implications for l-arginine depletion in malarial infection . | the 2.15 a resolution crystal structure of arginase from plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes cerebral malaria, is reported in complex with the boronic acid inhibitor 2(s)-amino-6-boronohexanoic acid (abh) (k(d) = 11 microm). this is the first crystal structure of a parasitic arginase. various protein constructs were explored to identify an optimally active enzyme form for inhibition and structural studies and to probe the structure and function of two polypeptide insertions unique to ... | 2010 | 20527960 |
| cloning, expression and transmission-blocking activity of anti-pvwarp, malaria vaccine candidate, in anopheles stephensi mysorensis. | notwithstanding progress in recent years, a safe, an effective and affordable malaria vaccine is not available yet. ookinete-secreted protein, plasmodium vivax von willebrand factor a domain-related protein (pvwarp), is a candidate for malaria transmission-blocking vaccines (tbvs). | 2010 | 20537198 |
| identification of three single nucleotide polymorphisms in anopheles gambiae immune signaling genes that are associated with natural plasmodium falciparum infection. | laboratory studies have demonstrated that a variety of immune signaling pathways regulate malaria parasite infection in anopheles gambiae, the primary vector species in africa. | 2010 | 20540770 |
| laboratory evaluation of dimethyl phthalate treated wristbands against three predominant mosquito (diptera: culicidae) vectors of disease. | objectives and materials and methods: the repellent efficacy of dimethyl phthalate (dmp) treated wristband was determined against mosquitoes, viz anopheles stephensi liston, aedes aegypti linnaeus, culex quinquefasciatus say at two concentrations viz., 1.5 and 2.0 mg/cm2 under the laboratory conditions. dmp treated wristband had shown variable degrees of repellency impact against different mosquito species. results: its offered higher reduction of man landing rate against anopheles stephensi at ... | 2010 | 20556923 |
| estimating the global clinical burden of plasmodium falciparum malaria in 2007. | the epidemiology of malaria makes surveillance-based methods of estimating its disease burden problematic. cartographic approaches have provided alternative malaria burden estimates, but there remains widespread misunderstanding about their derivation and fidelity. the aims of this study are to present a new cartographic technique and its application for deriving global clinical burden estimates of plasmodium falciparum malaria for 2007, and to compare these estimates and their likely precision ... | 2010 | 20563310 |
| metamorphosis of the malaria parasite in the liver is associated with organelle clearance. | malaria parasites encounter diverse conditions as they cycle between their vertebrate host and mosquito vector. within these distinct environments, the parasite undergoes drastic transformations, changing both its morphology and metabolism. plasmodium species that infect mammals must first take up residence in the liver before initiating red blood cell infection. following penetration into hepatocytes, the parasite converts from an invasion-competent, motile, elongated sporozoite to a metabolica ... | 2010 | 20567259 |
| mosquito-bacteria symbiosis: the case of anopheles gambiae and asaia. | the symbiotic relationship between asaia, an α-proteobacterium belonging to the family acetobacteriaceae, and mosquitoes has been studied mainly in the asian malaria vector anopheles stephensi. thus, we have investigated the nature of the association between asaia and the major afro-tropical malaria vector anopheles gambiae. we have isolated asaia from different wild and laboratory reared colonies of a. gambiae, and it was detected by pcr in all the developmental stages of the mosquito and in al ... | 2010 | 20571792 |
| reduced susceptibility to selected synthetic pyrethroids in urban malaria vector anopheles stephensi: a case study in mangalore city, south india. | synthetic pyrethroids are potent insecticides most commonly used in the vector control programme. these are applied for indoor residual sprays, space sprays and in impregnated bed nets. resistance reduces the efficacy of insecticides. thus, the susceptibility status of the target vector(s) is monitored routinely to select the effective ones. a study was undertaken in a malaria endemic coastal city mangalore, karnataka, south india, against the known malaria vector anopheles stephensi. | 2010 | 20573246 |
| glutathione reductase-null malaria parasites have normal blood stage growth but arrest during development in the mosquito. | malaria parasites contain a complete glutathione (gsh) redox system, and several enzymes of this system are considered potential targets for antimalarial drugs. through generation of a gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-gcs)-null mutant of the rodent parasite plasmodium berghei, we previously showed that de novo gsh synthesis is not critical for blood stage multiplication but is essential for oocyst development. in this study, phenotype analyses of mutant parasites lacking expression of gl ... | 2010 | 20573956 |
| chemotherapy, within-host ecology and the fitness of drug-resistant malaria parasites. | a major determinant of the rate at which drug-resistant malaria parasites spread through a population is the ecology of resistant and sensitive parasites sharing the same host. drug treatment can significantly alter this ecology by removing the drug-sensitive parasites, leading to competitive release of resistant parasites. here, we test the hypothesis that the spread of resistance can be slowed by reducing drug treatment and hence restricting competitive release. using the rodent malaria model ... | 2010 | 20584075 |
| the plasmodium eukaryotic initiation factor-2alpha kinase ik2 controls the latency of sporozoites in the mosquito salivary glands. | sporozoites, the invasive form of malaria parasites transmitted by mosquitoes, are quiescent while in the insect salivary glands. sporozoites only differentiate inside of the hepatocytes of the mammalian host. we show that sporozoite latency is an active process controlled by a eukaryotic initiation factor-2alpha (eif2alpha) kinase (ik2) and a phosphatase. ik2 activity is dominant in salivary gland sporozoites, leading to an inhibition of translation and accumulation of stalled mrnas into granul ... | 2010 | 20584882 |
| mosquito cell line glycoproteins: an unsuitable model system for the plasmodium ookinete-mosquito midgut interaction? | abstract: | 2010 | 20338056 |
| anopheles aquasalis infected by plasmodium vivax displays unique gene expression profiles when compared to other malaria vectors and plasmodia. | malaria affects 300 million people worldwide every year and is endemic in 22 countries in the americas where transmission occurs mainly in the amazon region. most malaria cases in the americas are caused by plasmodium vivax, a parasite that is almost impossible to cultivate in vitro, and anopheles aquasalis is an important malaria vector. understanding the interactions between this vector and its parasite will provide important information for development of disease control strategies. to this e ... | 2010 | 20339545 |
| exoerythrocytic plasmodium parasites secrete a cysteine protease inhibitor involved in sporozoite invasion and capable of blocking cell death of host hepatocytes. | plasmodium parasites must control cysteine protease activity that is critical for hepatocyte invasion by sporozoites, liver stage development, host cell survival and merozoite liberation. here we show that exoerythrocytic p. berghei parasites express a potent cysteine protease inhibitor (pbicp, p. berghei inhibitor of cysteine proteases). we provide evidence that it has an important function in sporozoite invasion and is capable of blocking hepatocyte cell death. pre-incubation with specific ant ... | 2010 | 20361051 |
| biological cost of tolerance to heavy metals in the mosquito anopheles gambiae. | the global rate of heavy metal pollution is rapidly increasing in various habitats. anopheles malaria vector species (diptera: culicidae) appear to tolerate many aquatic habitats with metal pollutants, despite their normal proclivity for 'clean' water (i.e. low levels of organic matter). investigations were conducted to establish whether there are biological costs for tolerance to heavy metals in anopheles gambiae giles sensu stricto and to assess the potential impact of heavy metal pollution on ... | 2010 | 20374478 |
| male accessory gland proteins induce female monogamy in anopheline mosquitoes. | the role of male accessory gland (mag) secretions in inducing refractoriness to further mating in mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) was established in the late 1960s. in a set of simple experiments, mag extract was injected intra-thoraxically into the hemocoel of virgin aedes aegypti (l.), culex pipiens pipiens (l.) and anopheles quadrimaculatus say females. this subsequently caused most females to remain unmated when exposed to males. for anophelines these findings were later challenged by a stud ... | 2010 | 20377737 |
| the biological activity of alpha-mangostin, a larvicidal botanic mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 inhibitor. | alpha-mangostin derived from mangosteen was identified as a mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 inhibitor via high throughput insecticide screening, alpha-mangostin was tested for its larvicidal activity against third instar larvae of six mosquito species, and the median lethal concentration values range from 0.84 to 2.90 ppm. the residual larvicidal activity of alpha-mangostin was examined under semifield conditions. the results indicated that alpha-mangostin was photolytic with a half-life of 53 ... | 2010 | 20380307 |
| human malaria parasites: are we ready for a new species? | 2010 | 20380563 | |
| blocking of plasmodium transmission by cooperative action of cecropin a and defensin a in transgenic aedes aegypti mosquitoes. | to overcome burden of mosquito-borne diseases, multiple control strategies are needed. population replacement with genetically modified mosquitoes carrying antipathogen effector genes is one of the possible approaches for controlling disease transmission. however, transgenic mosquitoes with antipathogen phenotypes based on overexpression of a single type effector molecule are not efficient in interrupting pathogen transmission. here, we show that co-overexpression of two antimicrobial peptides ( ... | 2010 | 20385844 |
| three members of the 6-cys protein family of plasmodium play a role in gamete fertility. | the process of fertilization is critically dependent on the mutual recognition of gametes and in plasmodium, the male gamete surface protein p48/45 is vital to this process. this protein belongs to a family of 10 structurally related proteins, the so called 6-cys family. to identify the role of additional members of this family in plasmodium fertilisation, we performed genetic and functional analysis on the five members of the 6-cys family that are transcribed during the gametocyte stage of p. b ... | 2010 | 20386715 |
| genetic structure of plasmodium vivax and plasmodium falciparum in the bannu district of pakistan. | plasmodium vivax and plasmodium falciparum are the major causative agents of malaria. while knowledge of the genetic structure of malaria parasites is useful for understanding the evolution of parasite virulence, designing anti-malarial vaccines and assessing the impact of malaria control measures, there is a paucity of information on genetic diversity of these two malaria parasites in pakistan. this study sought to shed some light on the genetic structure of p. vivax and p. falciparum in this u ... | 2010 | 20416089 |
| transcriptional analysis of the pre-erythrocytic stages of the rodent malaria parasite, plasmodium yoelii. | the molecular biology of the clinically silent pre-erythrocytic stages of mammalian plasmodium spp, composed of both the sporozoite and liver stages, has remained largely uncharacterized. improved understanding of the biological processes required for progression through the pre-erythrocytic stages could lead to the identification of novel drug and vaccine targets. to gain insights into the molecular events that occur during the pre-erythrocytic stages of plasmodium, comparative transcriptional ... | 2010 | 20422005 |
| the ic(50) of anti-pfs25 antibody in membrane-feeding assay varies among species. | plasmodium falciparum surface protein 25 (pfs25) is a candidate for transmission-blocking vaccines (tbvs). anti-pfs25 antibodies block the development of oocysts in membrane-feeding assays and we have shown the activity correlates with antibody titer. in this study, we purified pfs25-specific iggs to convert antibody titer to microg/ml and determined the amount of antibody required to inhibit 50% of oocyst development (ic(50)). the ic(50) were, 15.9, 4.2, 41.2, and 85.6microg/ml for mouse, rabbi ... | 2010 | 20434549 |
| suppressing aedes albopictus, an emerging vector of dengue and chikungunya viruses, by a novel combination of a monomolecular film and an insect-growth regulator. | the asian tiger mosquito aedes albopictus (skuse) is rapidly increasing its global range and importance in transmission of chikungunya and dengue viruses. we tested pellet formulations of a monomolecular film (agnique) and (s)-methoprene (altosid) under laboratory and field conditions. in the laboratory, agnique provided 80% control for 20 days, whereas altosid, in combination with agnique, provided 80% control for > 60 days. during field trials, the 1:1 pellet ratio of combined products provide ... | 2010 | 20439963 |
| immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a recombinant yellow fever vaccine against the murine malarial parasite plasmodium yoelii. | the live-attenuated yellow fever vaccine (yf17d) is one of the safest and most effective vaccines available today. here, yf17d was genetically altered to express the circumsporozoite protein (csp) from the murine malarial parasite plasmodium yoelii. reconstituted recombinant virus was viable and exhibited robust csp expression. immunization of naïve mice resulted in extensive proliferation of adoptively transferred csp-specific transgenic cd8(+) t-cells. a single immunization of naïve mice with ... | 2010 | 20451637 |
| vitellogenin gene expression in autogenous culex tarsalis. | autogeny, the ability of a mosquito to mature an initial batch of eggs without blood feeding, is an alternative reproductive strategy with important implications for vector-borne disease transmission. regulation of the major yolk protein (vitellogenin; vg) genes during bloodmeal-induced oogenesis is well studied, but little is known about regulation of vitellogenesis in autogenous mosquitoes. we characterized the expression of four vitellogenin genes (vg1a, vg1b, vg2a and vg2b) in an autogenous ... | 2010 | 20456510 |
| genome landscape and evolutionary plasticity of chromosomes in malaria mosquitoes. | nonrandom distribution of rearrangements is a common feature of eukaryotic chromosomes that is not well understood in terms of genome organization and evolution. in the major african malaria vector anopheles gambiae, polymorphic inversions are highly nonuniformly distributed among five chromosomal arms and are associated with epidemiologically important adaptations. however, it is not clear whether the genomic content of the chromosomal arms is associated with inversion polymorphism and fixation ... | 2010 | 20485676 |
| transgenesis and paratransgenesis to control insect-borne diseases: current status and future challenges. | insect-borne diseases cause significant human morbidity and mortality. current control and preventive methods against vector-borne diseases rely mainly on insecticides. the emergence of insecticide resistance in many disease vectors highlights the necessity to develop new strategies to control these insects. vector transgenesis and paratransgenesis are novel strategies that aim at reducing insect vectorial capacity, or seek to eliminate transmission of pathogens such as plasmodium sp., trypanoso ... | 2010 | 19819346 |
| prime-boost immunization with adenoviral and modified vaccinia virus ankara vectors enhances the durability and polyfunctionality of protective malaria cd8+ t-cell responses. | protection against liver-stage malaria relies on the induction of high frequencies of antigen-specific cd8+ t cells. we have previously reported high protective levels against mouse malaria, albeit short-lived, by a single vaccination with adenoviral vectors coding for a liver-stage antigen (me.trap). here, we report that prime-boost regimens using modified vaccinia virus ankara (mva) and adenoviral vectors encoding me.trap can enhance both short- and long-term sterile protection against malaria ... | 2010 | 19858306 |
| neither mosquito saliva nor immunity to saliva has a detectable effect on the infectivity of plasmodium sporozoites injected into mice. | malaria infection is initiated when a female anopheles mosquito probing for blood injects saliva, together with sporozoites, into the skin of its mammalian host. prior studies had suggested that saliva may enhance sporozoite infectivity. using rodent malaria models (plasmodium berghei and p. yoelii), we were unable to show that saliva had any detectable effect on sporozoite infectivity. this is encouraging for plans to immunize humans with washed, attenuated p. falciparum sporozoites because man ... | 2010 | 19884338 |
| identification and characterization of odorant-binding protein 1 gene from the asian malaria mosquito, anopheles stephensi. | insect odorant-binding proteins (obps) are small, water-soluble molecules that are thought to transport the hydrophobic odorants to their receptors in the chemosensory neurones. here we report the identification and molecular characterization of the anopheles stephensi odorant-binding protein 1 gene (asteobp1), an obp1 gene in an. stephensi, a major malaria vector in asia. we show that asteobp1 and anopheles gambiae obp1 (agamobp1) are orthologues. these two genes share similar coding sequences ... | 2010 | 19909381 |
| characterization of expression, activity and role in antibacterial immunity of anopheles gambiae lysozyme c-1. | there are eight lysozyme genes in the anopheles gambiae genome. transcripts of one of these genes, lysc-1, increased in anopheles gambiae cell line 4a3b by 24 h after exposure to heat-killed micrococcus luteus. lysozyme activity was also identified in conditioned media from the cell line from which the protein was purified to homogeneity using ion exchange and gel filtration. mass spectrometric analysis of the purified protein showed 100% identity to lysozyme c-1. purified lysozyme c-1 was teste ... | 2010 | 19932188 |
| role of plasmodium berghei cgmp-dependent protein kinase in late liver stage development. | the liver is the first organ infected by plasmodium sporozoites during malaria infection. in the infected hepatocytes, sporozoites undergo a complex developmental program to eventually generate hepatic merozoites that are released into the bloodstream in membrane-bound vesicles termed merosomes. parasites blocked at an early developmental stage inside hepatocytes elicit a protective host immune response, making them attractive targets in the effort to develop a pre-erythrocytic stage vaccine. he ... | 2010 | 19940133 |
| differential transcriptomic responses of biomphalaria glabrata (gastropoda, mollusca) to bacteria and metazoan parasites, schistosoma mansoni and echinostoma paraensei (digenea, platyhelminthes). | a 70-mer-oligonucleotide-based microarray (1152 features) that emphasizes stress and immune responses factors was constructed to study transcriptomic responses of the snail biomphalaria glabrata to different immune challenges. in addition to sequences with relevant putative id and gene ontology (go) annotation, the array features non-immune factors and unknown b. glabrata ests for functional gene discovery. the transcription profiles of b. glabrata (3 biological replicates, each a pool of 5 snai ... | 2010 | 19962194 |
| aegyptin displays high-affinity for the von willebrand factor binding site (rgqogvmgf) in collagen and inhibits carotid thrombus formation in vivo. | aegyptin is a 30 kda mosquito salivary gland protein that binds to collagen and inhibits platelet aggregation. we have studied the biophysical properties of aegyptin and its mechanism of action. light-scattering plot showed that aegyptin has an elongated monomeric form, which explains the apparent molecular mass of 110 kda estimated by gel-filtration chromatography. surface plasmon resonance identified the sequence rgqogvmgf (where o is hydroxyproline) that mediates collagen interaction with von ... | 2010 | 20015075 |
| the plasmodium serine-type sera proteases display distinct expression patterns and non-essential in vivo roles during life cycle progression of the malaria parasite. | parasite proteases play key roles in several fundamental steps of the plasmodium life cycle, including haemoglobin degradation, host cell invasion and parasite egress. plasmodium exit from infected host cells appears to be mediated by a class of papain-like cysteine proteases called 'serine repeat antigens' (seras). a sera subfamily, represented by plasmodium falciparum sera5, contains an atypical active site serine residue instead of a catalytic cysteine. members of this seraser subfamily are a ... | 2010 | 20039882 |
| a multifactorial mechanism in the superior antimalarial activity of alpha-c-galcer. | we have previously shown that the c-glycoside analog of alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-galcer), alpha-c-galcer, displays a superior inhibitory activity against the liver stages of the rodent malaria parasite plasmodium yoelii than its parental glycolipid, alpha-galcer. in this study, we demonstrate that nk cells, as well as il-12, are a key contributor for the superior activity displayed by alpha-c-galcer. surprisingly, the diminished production of th2 cytokines, including il-4, by alpha-c-galc ... | 2010 | 20069056 |
| synergistic and additive effects of epigallocatechin gallate and digitonin on plasmodium sporozoite survival and motility. | most medicinal plants contain a mixture of bioactive compounds, including chemicals that interact with intracellular targets and others that can act as adjuvants to facilitate absorption of polar agents across cellular membranes. however, little is known about synergistic effects between such potential drug candidates and adjuvants. to probe for such effects, we tested the green tea compound epigallocatechin gallate (egcg) and the membrane permeabilising digitonin on plasmodium sporozoite motili ... | 2010 | 20072627 |
| structure and function of a g-actin sequestering protein with a vital role in malaria oocyst development inside the mosquito vector. | cyclase-associated proteins (caps) are evolutionary conserved g-actin-binding proteins that regulate microfilament turnover. caps have a modular structure consisting of an n-terminal adenylate cyclase binding domain, a central proline-rich segment, and a c-terminal actin binding domain. protozoan parasites of the phylum apicomplexa, such as cryptosporidium and the malaria parasite plasmodium, express small cap orthologs with homology to the c-terminal actin binding domain (c-cap). here, we demon ... | 2010 | 20083609 |
| factors affecting fungus-induced larval mortality in anopheles gambiae and anopheles stephensi. | entomopathogenic fungi have shown great potential for the control of adult malaria vectors. however, their ability to control aquatic stages of anopheline vectors remains largely unexplored. therefore, how larval characteristics (anopheles species, age and larval density), fungus (species and concentration) and environmental effects (exposure duration and food availability) influence larval mortality caused by fungus, was studied. | 2010 | 20085659 |
| bacterial symbionts of the brown planthopper, nilaparvata lugens (homoptera: delphacidae). | the brown planthopper (nilaparvata lugens stål), the most destructive pest of rice, has been identified, including biotypes with high virulence towards previously resistant rice varieties. there have also been many reports of a yeast-like symbiont of n. lugens, but little is known about the bacterial microbes. in this study, we examined the bacterial microbes in n. lugens and identified a total of 18 operational taxonomic units (otus) representing four phyla (proteobacteria, firmicutes, actinoba ... | 2010 | 20097822 |
| differential effector pathways regulate memory cd8 t cell immunity against plasmodium berghei versus p. yoelii sporozoites. | malaria results in >1,000,000 deaths per year worldwide. although no licensed vaccine exists, much effort is currently focused on subunit vaccines that elicit cd8 t cell responses directed against plasmodium parasite liver stage ags. multiple immune-effector molecules play a role in antimicrobial immunity mediated by memory cd8 t cells, including ifn-gamma, perforin, trail, fas ligand, and tnf-alpha. however, it is not known which pathways are required for memory cd8 t cell-mediated immunity aga ... | 2010 | 20097864 |
| a semi-automated method for counting fluorescent malaria oocysts increases the throughput of transmission blocking studies. | malaria transmission is now recognized as a key target for intervention. evaluation of the plasmodium oocyst burden in the midguts of anopheles spp. is important for many of assays investigating transmission. however, current assays are very time-consuming, manually demanding and patently subject to observer-observer variation. | 2010 | 20113492 |
| transfection and mutagenesis of target genes in mosquito cells by locked nucleic acid-modified oligonucleotides. | plasmodium parasites, the causative agent of malaria, are transmitted through the bites of infected anopheles mosquitoes resulting in over 250 million new infections each year. despite decades of research, there is still no vaccine against malaria, highlighting the need for novel control strategies. one innovative approach is the use of genetically modified mosquitoes to effectively control malaria parasite transmission. deliberate alterations of cell signaling pathways in the mosquito, via targ ... | 2010 | 21206476 |
| insecticide resistance and malaria transmission: infection rate and oocyst burden in culex pipiens mosquitoes infected with plasmodium relictum. | the control of most vectors of malaria is threatened by the spread of insecticide resistance. one factor that has been hitherto largely overlooked is the potential effects of insecticide resistance on the ability of mosquitoes to transmit malaria: are insecticide-resistant mosquitoes as good vectors of plasmodium as susceptible ones? the drastic physiological changes that accompany the evolution of insecticide resistance may indeed alter the ability of vectors to transmit diseases, a possibility ... | 2010 | 21194433 |
| bacterial endosymbiont localization in hyalesthes obsoletus, the insect vector of bois noir in vitis vinifera. | one emerging disease of grapevine in europe is bois noir (bn), a phytoplasmosis caused by "candidatus phytoplasma solani" and spread in vineyards by the planthopper hyalesthes obsoletus (hemiptera: cixiidae). here we present the first full characterization of the bacterial community of this important disease vector collected from bn-contaminated areas in piedmont, italy. length heterogeneity pcr and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis targeting the 16s rrna gene revealed the presenc ... | 2010 | 21183640 |
| nonspecific patterns of vector, host and avian malaria parasite associations in a central african rainforest. | malaria parasites use vertebrate hosts for asexual multiplication and culicidae mosquitoes for sexual and asexual development, yet the literature on avian malaria remains biased towards examining the asexual stages of the life cycle in birds. to fully understand parasite evolution and mechanism of malaria transmission, knowledge of all three components of the vector-host-parasite system is essential. little is known about avian parasite-vector associations in african rainforests where numerous s ... | 2010 | 21134011 |
| the function and three-dimensional structure of a thromboxane a2/cysteinyl leukotriene-binding protein from the saliva of a mosquito vector of the malaria parasite. | the highly expressed d7 protein family of mosquito saliva has previously been shown to act as an anti-inflammatory mediator by binding host biogenic amines and cysteinyl leukotrienes (cyslts). in this study we demonstrate that anst-d7l1, a two-domain member of this group from anopheles stephensi, retains the cyslt binding function seen in the homolog aed7 from aedes aegypti but has lost the ability to bind biogenic amines. unlike any previously characterized members of the d7 family, anst-d7l1 h ... | 2010 | 21152418 |
| intradermal immunization of mice with radiation-attenuated sporozoites of plasmodium yoelii induces effective protective immunity. | intravenous injection of mice with attenuated plasmodium berghei sporozoites induces sterile immunity to challenge with viable sporozoites. non-intravenous routes have been reported to yield poor immunity. because intravenous immunization has been considered to be unacceptable for large scale vaccination of humans, assessment was made of the results of intradermal immunization of mice with plasmodium yoelii, a rodent malaria parasite whose infectivity resembles that of human malaria. | 2010 | 21159170 |
| a constitutive pan-hexose permease for the plasmodium life cycle and transgenic models for screening of antimalarial sugar analogs. | glucose is considered essential for erythrocytic stages of the malaria parasite, plasmodium falciparum. importance of sugar and its permease for hepatic and sexual stages of plasmodium, however, remains elusive. moreover, increasing global resistance to current antimalarials necessitates the search for novel drugs. here, we reveal that hexose transporter 1 (ht1) of plasmodium berghei can transport glucose (k(m)~87 μm), mannose (k(i)~93 μm), fructose (k(i)~0.54 mm), and galactose (k(i)~5 mm) in l ... | 2010 | 21169382 |
| malaria parasites form filamentous cell-to-cell connections during reproduction in the mosquito midgut. | physical contact is important for the interaction between animal cells, but it can represent a major challenge for protists like malaria parasites. recently, novel filamentous cell-cell contacts have been identified in different types of eukaryotic cells and termed nanotubes due to their morphological appearance. nanotubes represent small dynamic membranous extensions that consist of f-actin and are considered an ancient feature evolved by eukaryotic cells to establish contact for communication. ... | 2010 | 21173797 |
| molecular cloning, characterization, and expression analysis of an estrogen receptor-related receptor homologue in the cricket, teleogryllus emma. | the estrogen receptor-related receptors (errs) are a group of nuclear receptors that were originally identified on the basis of sequence similarity to estrogen receptors. the three mammalian err genes have been implicated in diverse physiological processes ranging from placental development to maintenance of bone density, but the function and regulation of errs in invertebrates are not well understood. a homologue of human err was isolated from the cricket teleogryllus emma (ohmachi and matsumur ... | 2010 | 21265615 |
| predators indirectly control vector-borne disease: linking predator-prey and host-pathogen models. | pathogens transmitted by arthropod vectors are common in human populations, agricultural systems and natural communities. transmission of these vector-borne pathogens depends on the population dynamics of the vector species as well as its interactions with other species within the community. in particular, predation may be sufficient to control pathogen prevalence indirectly via the vector. to examine the indirect effect of predators on vectored-pathogen dynamics, we developed a theoretical mode ... | 2010 | 19474078 |
| initiation of plasmodium sporozoite motility by albumin is associated with induction of intracellular signalling. | malaria infection is initiated when a mosquito injects plasmodium sporozoites into a mammalian host. sporozoites exhibit gliding motility both in vitro and in vivo. this motility is associated with the secretion of at least two proteins, circumsporozoite protein (csp) and thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (trap). both derive from micronemes, which are organelles that empty out of the apical end of the sporozoite. sporozoite motility can be initiated in vitro by albumin added to the medium ... | 2010 | 19654011 |
| human igg response to a salivary peptide, gsg6-p1, as a new immuno-epidemiological tool for evaluating low-level exposure to anopheles bites. | human populations exposed to low malaria transmission present particular severe risks of malaria morbidity and mortality. in addition, in a context of low-level exposure to anopheles vector, conventional entomological methods used for sampling anopheles populations are insufficiently sensitive and probably under-estimate the real risk of malaria transmission. the evaluation of antibody (ab) responses to arthropod salivary proteins constitutes a novel tool for estimating exposure level to insect ... | 2009 | 19674487 |
| vital role for the plasmodium actin capping protein (cp) beta-subunit in motility of malaria sporozoites. | summary successful malaria transmission from the mosquito vector to the mammalian host depends crucially on active sporozoite motility. sporozoite locomotion and host cell invasion are driven by the parasite's own actin/myosin motor. a unique feature of this motor machinery is the presence of very short subpellicular actin filaments. therefore, f-actin stabilizing proteins likely play a central role in parasite locomotion. here, we investigated the role of the plasmodium berghei actin capping pr ... | 2009 | 19682250 |
| integration of irradiation with cytoplasmic incompatibility to facilitate a lymphatic filariasis vector elimination approach. | abstract: | 2009 | 19682363 |
| generation, annotation, and analysis of ests from midgut tissue of adult female anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. | malaria is a tropical disease caused by protozoan parasite, plasmodium, which is transmitted to humans by various species of female anopheline mosquitoes. anopheles stephensi is one such major malaria vector in urban parts of the indian subcontinent. unlike anopheles gambiae, an african malaria vector, transcriptome of a. stephensi midgut tissue is less explored. we have therefore carried out generation, annotation, and analysis of expressed sequence tags from sugar-fed and plasmodium yoelii inf ... | 2009 | 19695102 |
| imported malaria in united arab emirates: evaluation of a new dna extraction technique using nested pcr. | local malaria transmission in the united arab emirates (uae) came to an end in 1997. nevertheless, uae has been subjected to substantial importation of malaria cases from abroad, concerning both uae nationals and immigrants from malarious countries with a total number of 2,119 cases in 2007. to evaluate a new dna extraction technique using nested pcr, blood samples were collected from 132 individuals who presented to infectious diseases department in rashid hospital, dubai, and central departmen ... | 2009 | 19724695 |
| asaia, a versatile acetic acid bacterial symbiont, capable of cross-colonizing insects of phylogenetically distant genera and orders. | bacterial symbionts of insects have been proposed for blocking transmission of vector-borne pathogens. however, in many vector models the ecology of symbionts and their capability of cross-colonizing different hosts, an important feature in the symbiotic control approach, is poorly known. here we show that the acetic acid bacterium asaia, previously found in the malaria mosquito vector anopheles stephensi, is also present in, and capable of cross-colonizing other sugar-feeding insects of phyloge ... | 2009 | 19735280 |
| malaria ookinete surface protein-based vaccination via the intranasal route completely blocks parasite transmission in both passive and active vaccination regimens in a rodent model of malaria infection. | malaria vaccines based on ookinete surface proteins (osps) of the malaria parasites block oocyst development in feeding mosquitoes and hence disrupt the parasite life cycle and prevent the disease from being transmitted to other individuals. to investigate whether a noninvasive mucosal vaccination regimen effectively blocks parasite transmission in vivo, plasmodium yoelii pys25, a homolog of the pfs25 and pvs25 osps of plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax, respectively, was intranasally (i ... | 2009 | 19752035 |
| annotation and analysis of low-complexity protein families of anopheles gambiae that are associated with cuticle. | we have characterized four new families of homologous genes of the mosquito, anopheles gambiae, all of which include members shown by previous work to be cuticular in nature. the cplcg, cplcw, cplcp, and cplca families (where cplc is 'cuticular protein of low complexity') encode proteins with a high proportion of low-complexity sequence. we have also annotated the an. gambiae tweedle genes, a family of cuticular protein genes first described in drosophila, and additional ungrouped an. gambiae cu ... | 2009 | 19754739 |
| the ig domain protein cd9p-1 down-regulates cd81 ability to support plasmodium yoelii infection. | invasion of hepatocytes by plasmodium sporozoites is a prerequisite for establishment of a malaria natural infection. the molecular mechanisms underlying sporozoite invasion are largely unknown. we have previously reported that cd81 is required on hepatocytes for infection by plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium yoelii sporozoites. cd81 belongs to the tetraspanin superfamily of transmembrane proteins. by interacting with each other and with other transmembrane proteins, tetraspanins may play a r ... | 2009 | 19762465 |
| altered immune responses in rhesus macaques co-infected with siv and plasmodium cynomolgi: an animal model for coincident aids and relapsing malaria. | dual epidemics of the malaria parasite plasmodium and hiv-1 in sub-saharan africa and asia present a significant risk for co-infection in these overlapping endemic regions. recent studies of hiv/plasmodium falciparum co-infection have reported significant interactions of these pathogens, including more rapid cd4+ t cell loss, increased viral load, increased immunosuppression, and increased episodes of clinical malaria. here, we describe a novel rhesus macaque model for co-infection that supports ... | 2009 | 19774084 |
| imidazoquines as antimalarial and antipneumocystis agents. | peptidomimetic imidazolidin-4-one derivatives of primaquine (imidazoquines) recently displayed in vitro activity against blood schizonts of a chloroquine-resistant strain of plasmodium falciparum. preliminary studies with a subset of such imidazoquines showed them to both block transmission of p. berghei malaria from mouse to mosquito and be highly stable toward hydrolysis at physiological conditions. this prompted us to have deeper insight into the activity of imidazoquines against both plasmod ... | 2009 | 19799426 |
| widespread distribution of a newly found point mutation in voltage-gated sodium channel in pyrethroid-resistant aedes aegypti populations in vietnam. | resistance of aedes aegypti to photostable pyrethroid insecticides is a major problem for disease-vector control programs. pyrethroids target the voltage-gated sodium channel on the insects' neurons. single amino acid substitutions in this channel associated with pyrethroid resistance are one of the main factors that cause knockdown resistance in insects. although kdr has been observed in several mosquito species, point mutations in the para gene have not been fully characterized in ae. aegypti ... | 2009 | 19806205 |
| disruption of plasmodium sporozoite transmission by depletion of sporozoite invasion-associated protein 1. | accumulation of infectious plasmodium sporozoites in anopheles spp. salivary glands marks the final step of the complex development of the malaria parasite in the insect vector. sporozoites are formed inside midgut-associated oocysts and actively egress into the mosquito hemocoel. traversal of the salivary gland acinar cells correlates with the sporozoite's capacity to perform continuous gliding motility. here, we characterized the cellular role of the plasmodium berghei sporozoite invasion-asso ... | 2009 | 19181869 |
| dermatologic changes induced by repeated ixodes scapularis bites and implications for prevention of tick-borne infection. | previous studies in rodents and people have demonstrated that repeated tick exposure is associated with reduced borrelia burgdorferi transmission but the mechanism of prevention remains unclear. we examined the acute histopathologic reactions to initial and repeated ixodes scapularis bites in balb/c mice and in people. skin biopsies of balb/c mice infested for the first time by i. scapularis nymphs revealed vascular dilatation and an accumulation of inflammatory cells adjacent to the bite site b ... | 2009 | 19196014 |
| isolongifolenone: a novel sesquiterpene repellent of ticks and mosquitoes. | a naturally occurring sesquiterpene, isolongifolenone, derivatives of which have been used extensively as ingredients in the cosmetics industry, was discovered to effectively repel blood-feeding arthropods that are important disease vectors. we show that (-)-isolongifolenone deters the biting of the mosquitoes, aedes aegypti (l.) and anopheles stephensi liston, more effectively than the widely used synthetic chemical repellent, n,n-diethyl-3-methyl benzamide (deet), in laboratory bioassays. the ... | 2009 | 19198523 |
| characterisation of plasmodium invasive organelles; an ookinete microneme proteome. | secretion of microneme proteins is essential to plasmodium invasion but the molecular composition of these secretory organelles remains poorly defined. here, we describe the first plasmodium microneme proteome. purification of micronemes by subcellular fractionation from cultured ookinetes was confirmed by enrichment of known micronemal proteins and electron microscopy. quantitation of electron micrographs showed >14-fold microneme enrichment compared to the intact ookinete, such that micronemes ... | 2009 | 19206106 |
| density-dependent effects on the weight of female ascaris lumbricoides infections of humans and its impact on patterns of egg production. | abstract: | 2009 | 19208229 |
| a baculovirus dual expression system-based malaria vaccine induces strong protection against plasmodium berghei sporozoite challenge in mice. | we have previously shown that a recombinant baculovirus that displays plasmodium berghei circumsporozoite protein (pbcsp), a homolog of the leading human malaria vaccine candidate, on the viral envelope protected 60% of mice against p. berghei infection. here, we describe a second-generation baculovirus vaccine based on the "baculovirus dual expression system," which drives pbcsp expression by a dual promoter that consists of tandemly arranged baculovirus-derived polyhedrin and mammal-derived cy ... | 2009 | 19223476 |
| wash resistance and efficacy of three long-lasting insecticidal nets assessed from bioassays on anopheles culicifacies and anopheles stephensi. | to test the wash resistance and efficacy of long-lasting insecticidal nets (llins), namely olyset net and permanet 2.0; and a long-lasting treatment kit, k-o tab 1-2-3, on anopheles culicifacies and an. stephensi, major malaria vectors in india, by bioassays. conventionally treated deltamethrin net (ctdn with k-o tab) was used for comparison. | 2009 | 19228347 |
| the glutathione biosynthetic pathway of plasmodium is essential for mosquito transmission. | infection of red blood cells (rbc) subjects the malaria parasite to oxidative stress. therefore, efficient antioxidant and redox systems are required to prevent damage by reactive oxygen species. plasmodium spp. have thioredoxin and glutathione (gsh) systems that are thought to play a major role as antioxidants during blood stage infection. in this report, we analyzed a critical component of the gsh biosynthesis pathway using reverse genetics. plasmodium berghei parasites lacking expression of g ... | 2009 | 19229315 |
| primaquine dipeptide derivatives bearing an imidazolidin-4-one moiety at the n-terminus as potential antimalarial prodrugs. | primaquine dipeptide derivatives bearing an imidazolidin-4-one moiety at the n-terminus were synthesized and evaluated as potential transmission-blocking antimalarial prodrugs. all compounds were hydrolyzed to the parent dipeptide derivative of primaquine in neutral and basic solutions, with half lives ranging from 0.7 to 31 h at 37 degrees c, depending on the nature of the substituents present in the imidazolidin-4-one moiety and in the c-terminal amino acid directly coupled to primaquine. the ... | 2009 | 19232784 |
| polymeric linear peptide chimeric vaccine-induced antimalaria immunity is associated with enhanced in vitro antigen loading. | immunization of mice with plasmodium berghei or plasmodium yoelii synthetic linear peptide chimeras (lpcs) based on the circumsporozoite protein protects against experimental challenge with viable sporozoites. the immunogenicity of lpcs is significantly enhanced by spontaneous polymerization. to better understand the antigenic properties of polymeric antimalarial peptides, we studied the immune responses elicited in mice immunized with a polymer or a monomer of a linear peptide construct specifi ... | 2009 | 19237530 |
| an essential role for the plasmodium nek-2 nima-related protein kinase in the sexual development of malaria parasites. | the molecular control of cell division and development in malaria parasites is far from understood. we previously showed that a plasmodium gametocyte-specific nima-related protein kinase, nek-4, is required for completion of meiosis in the ookinete, the motile form that develops from the zygote in the mosquito vector. here, we show that another nima-related kinase, pfnek-2, is also predominantly expressed in gametocytes, and that pfnek-2 is an active enzyme displaying an in vitro substrate prefe ... | 2009 | 19491095 |
| role of fish as predators of mosquito larvae on the floodplain of the gambia river. | we examined the potential of using native fish species in regulating mosquitoes in the floodplain of the gambia river, the major source of mosquitoes in rural parts of the gambia. fishes and mosquito larvae were sampled along two 2.3-km-long transects, from the landward edge of the floodplain to the river from may to november 2005 to 2007. a semifield trial was used to test the predatory capacity of fish on mosquito larvae and the influence of fish chemical cues on oviposition. in the field, the ... | 2009 | 19496426 |
| plasmodium berghei-infection induces volume-regulated anion channel-like activity in human hepatoma cells. | parasite infection can lead to alterations in the permeability of host plasma membranes. presented here is the first demonstration that this phenomenon occurs in plasmodium-infected liver cells. using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, volume-regulated anion channel (vrac) activity was characterized in huh-7 cells (a human hepatoma cell line) before and after infection with plasmodium berghei. consistent with the presence of vracs, hypotonic bath solution induced large ion currents in huh-7 c ... | 2009 | 19496788 |
| inferring selection in the anopheles gambiae species complex: an example from immune-related serine protease inhibitors. | mosquitoes of the anopheles gambiae species complex are the primary vectors of human malaria in sub-saharan africa. many host genes have been shown to affect plasmodium development in the mosquito, and so are expected to engage in an evolutionary arms race with the pathogen. however, there is little conclusive evidence that any of these mosquito genes evolve rapidly, or show other signatures of adaptive evolution. | 2009 | 19497100 |
| larvicidal activity of neem oil (azadirachta indica) formulation against mosquitoes. | mosquitoes transmit serious human diseases, causing millions of deaths every year. use of synthetic insecticides to control vector mosquitoes has caused physiological resistance and adverse environmental effects in addition to high operational cost. insecticides of botanical origin have been reported as useful for control of mosquitoes. azadirachta indica (meliaceae) and its derived products have shown a variety of insecticidal properties. the present paper discusses the larvicidal activity of n ... | 2009 | 19500429 |
| an early burst of ifn-gamma induced by the pre-erythrocytic stage favours plasmodium yoelii parasitaemia in b6 mice. | in murine models of malaria, an early proinflammatory response has been associated with the resolution of blood-stage infection. to dissect the protective immune mechanism that allow the control of parasitaemia, the early immune response of c57bl/6 mice induced during a non-lethal plasmodial infection was analysed. | 2009 | 19508725 |
| host cell transcriptional profiling during malaria liver stage infection reveals a coordinated and sequential set of biological events. | plasmodium sporozoites migrate to the liver where they traverse several hepatocytes before invading the one inside which they will develop and multiply into thousands of merozoites. although this constitutes an essential step of malaria infection, the requirements of plasmodium parasites in liver cells and how they use the host cell for their own survival and development are poorly understood. | 2009 | 19534804 |