| kinome-wide rnai screen implicates at least 5 host hepatocyte kinases in plasmodium sporozoite infection. | plasmodium sporozoites, the causative agent of malaria, are injected into their vertebrate host through the bite of an infected anopheles mosquito, homing to the liver where they invade hepatocytes to proliferate and develop into merozoites that, upon reaching the bloodstream, give rise to the clinical phase of infection. to investigate how host cell signal transduction pathways affect hepatocyte infection, we used rnai to systematically test the entire kinome and associated genes in human huh7 ... | 2008 | 18989463 |
| efficacy of bacillus sphaericus against larvae of malaria and filarial vectors: an analysis of early resistance detection. | we are reporting in this paper the control of anopheles stephensi liston and culex quinquefasciatus say using bacillus sphaericus. these have been now considered with a practical solution because of its specific and prolonged killing action against mosquito larvae. the efficacy of b. sphaericus were assessed against all instars of a. stephensi and c. quinquefasciatus separately. during the experiments, the mortalities were not found highly effective in dose concentration of lc(90) 0.01 mg/l. it ... | 2009 | 18989699 |
| enhancing effect of a protein from lonomia obliqua hemolymph on recombinant protein production. | gene expression in animal cells allows large scale production of proteins used for either structure and function studies or therapeutic purposes. maximizing recombinant protein production is necessary to optimize cell growth and protein expression. some studies have demonstrated the presence of pharmacologically active substances in insect hemolymph. in this work, we have identified and purified a protein from lonomia obliqua hemolymph able to increase the production of the rabies virus glycopro ... | 2008 | 19003176 |
| expression of the cytochrome p450s, cyp6p3 and cyp6m2 are significantly elevated in multiple pyrethroid resistant populations of anopheles gambiae s.s. from southern benin and nigeria. | insecticide resistance in anopheles mosquitoes is threatening the success of malaria control programmes. this is particularly true in benin where pyrethroid resistance has been linked to the failure of insecticide treated bed nets. the role of mutations in the insecticide target sites in conferring resistance has been clearly established. in this study, the contribution of other potential resistance mechanisms was investigated in anopheles gambiae s.s. from a number of localities in southern ben ... | 2008 | 19014539 |
| recombinant peptide replicates immunogenicity of synthetic linear peptide chimera for use as pre-erythrocytic stage malaria vaccine. | synthetic linear peptide chimeras (lpcs(cys+)) show promise as delivery platforms for malaria subunit vaccines. maximal immune response to lpcs(cys+) in rodent malaria models depends upon formation of cross-linkages to generate homopolymers, presenting challenges for vaccine production. to replicate the immunogenicity of lpcs(cys+) using a recombinant approach, we designed a recombinant lpc (rlpc) based on plasmodium yoelii circumsporozoite protein-specific sequences of 208 amino acids consistin ... | 2009 | 19015042 |
| role for the plasmodium sporozoite-specific transmembrane protein s6 in parasite motility and efficient malaria transmission. | malaria transmission occurs by intradermal deposition of plasmodium sporozoites during the infectious bite of a female anopheles mosquito. after formation in midgut-associated oocysts sporozoites actively enter mosquito salivary glands and subsequently invade host hepatocytes where they transform into clinically silent liver stages. to date, two sporozoite-specific transmembrane proteins have been identified that perform vital functions in natural malaria transmission. the sporozoite invasin tra ... | 2009 | 19016774 |
| exploring the mialome of ticks: an annotated catalogue of midgut transcripts from the hard tick, dermacentor variabilis (acari: ixodidae). | ticks are obligate blood feeders. the midgut is the first major region of the body where blood and microbes ingested with the blood meal come in contact with the tick's internal tissues. little is known about protein expression in the digestive tract of ticks. in this study, for analysis of global gene expression during tick attachment and feeding, we generated and sequenced 1,679 random transcripts (ests) from cdna libraries from the midguts of female ticks at varying stages of feeding. | 2008 | 19021911 |
| hiv protease inhibitors inhibit the development of preerythrocytic-stage plasmodium parasites. | recent studies have demonstrated that human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) protease inhibitors (pis) exert inhibitory effects on erythrocytic stages of the human-malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum in vitro and on erythrocytic stages of the rodent-malaria parasite plasmodium chabaudi in vivo. although it remains unclear how hiv pis inhibit the parasite, the effect seen on parasite development in the erythrocytic stages is potent. the effect on preerythrocytic stages has not yet been investigate ... | 2009 | 19032102 |
| enhanced immunogenicity of plasmodium falciparum peptide vaccines using a topical adjuvant containing a potent synthetic toll-like receptor 7 agonist, imiquimod. | plasmodium sporozoites injected into the skin by malaria-infected mosquitoes can be effectively targeted by antibodies that block parasite invasion of host hepatocytes and thus prevent the subsequent development of blood stage infections responsible for clinical disease. malaria subunit vaccines require potent adjuvants, as they lack known pathogen-associated molecular patterns found in attenuated viral or bacterial vaccines that function as toll-like receptor (tlr) agonists to stimulate dendrit ... | 2009 | 19047411 |
| evaluation and optimization of membrane feeding compared to direct feeding as an assay for infectivity. | malaria parasite infectivity to mosquitoes has been measured in a variety of ways and setting, includind direct feeds of and/or membrane feeding blood collected from randomly selected or gametocytemic volunteers. anopheles gambiae s.l is the main vector responsible of plasmodium falciparum transmission in bancoumana and represents about 90% of the laboratory findings, whereas plasmodium malariae and plasmodium ovale together represent only 10%. | 2008 | 19055715 |
| anopheles gambiae males produce and transfer the vitellogenic steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone to females during mating. | in female insects, the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20e) plays a major role in activating vitellogenesis, a process required for egg development. by contrast with vertebrates, production of large amounts of hormonal steroids has not been reported in adult male insects. in the present study, we analyzed steroidogenesis in both male and female adult of the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae and we found that a. gambiae male mosquitoes produce high amounts of the steroid hormone 20e. importa ... | 2008 | 19060216 |
| the fatty acid biosynthesis enzyme fabi plays a key role in the development of liver-stage malarial parasites. | the fatty acid synthesis type ii pathway has received considerable interest as a candidate therapeutic target in plasmodium falciparum asexual blood-stage infections. this apicoplast-resident pathway, distinct from the mammalian type i process, includes fabi. here, we report synthetic chemistry and transfection studies concluding that plasmodium fabi is not the target of the antimalarial activity of triclosan, an inhibitor of bacterial fabi. disruption of fabi in p. falciparum or the rodent para ... | 2008 | 19064257 |
| type ii fatty acid synthesis is essential only for malaria parasite late liver stage development. | intracellular malaria parasites require lipids for growth and replication. they possess a prokaryotic type ii fatty acid synthesis (fas ii) pathway that localizes to the apicoplast plastid organelle and is assumed to be necessary for pathogenic blood stage replication. however, the importance of fas ii throughout the complex parasite life cycle remains unknown. we show in a rodent malaria model that fas ii enzymes localize to the sporozoite and liver stage apicoplast. targeted deletion of fabb/f ... | 2009 | 19068099 |
| laboratory evaluation of dimethyl phthalate against anopheles stephensi and culex pipiens. | two repellents includes iranian and merck dimethyl phthalate (dmp) were evaluated against anopheles stephensi and culex pipiens, using american society for testing and material (astm) standard ed 951-83 procedure, a free choice method based on the variable dose-fixed time. also a modified of astm method we used for determination of effective dosages of the repellents. in astm method there were no significant differences between the two repellents (iranian and merck's dmp) as indicated by the ed5 ... | 2007 | 19069857 |
| laboratory determination of protection time in four chemical repellents against anopheles stephensi. | in the present study we determined the protection time (pt) and failure time (ft) of the dmp lotion, which is synthesized and formulated in iran and it was compared with other products such as mip60 and dimp31.7 lotions (commercial and current formulations of dimethyl phthalate) and trench pomade (a popular local repellent in iran) against anopheles stephensi liston (main malaria vector in south of iran) in laboratory condition. in this research which is an interventional and experimental study, ... | 2007 | 19070088 |
| azithromycin-chloroquine and the intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy. | in the high malaria-transmission settings of sub-saharan africa, malaria in pregnancy is an important cause of maternal, perinatal and neonatal morbidity. intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (iptp) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (sp) reduces the incidence of low birth-weight, pre-term delivery, intrauterine growth-retardation and maternal anaemia. however, the public health benefits of iptp are declining due to sp resistance. the combination of azithromycin and chloroquine ... | 2008 | 19087267 |
| the role of anti-malarial drugs in eliminating malaria. | effective anti-malarial drug treatment reduces malaria transmission. this alone can reduce the incidence and prevalence of malaria, although the effects are greater in areas of low transmission where a greater proportion of the infectious reservoir is symptomatic and receives anti-malarial treatment. effective treatment has greater effects on the transmission of falciparum malaria, where gametocytogenesis is delayed, compared with the other human malarias in which peak gametocytaemia and transmi ... | 2008 | 19091042 |
| salivary gland transcriptome analysis during plasmodium infection in malaria vector anopheles stephensi. | understanding the tissue-specific molecular cross-talk mechanism during the mosquito-parasite interaction is of prime importance in the design of new strategies for malaria control. because mosquito salivary glands are the final destination for the parasite maturation and transmission of vector-borne diseases, identification and characterization of salivary genes and their products are equally important in order to access their effect on the infectivity of the parasite. during the last five year ... | 2009 | 19128996 |
| plasmodium inui shortii: studies in old world and new world monkeys. | plasmodium inui shortti was studied in monkeys (66 macaca mulatta, 2 m. fascicularis, 12 saimiri boliviensis, 4 aotus lemurinus griseimembra, and 1 a. nancymaae). prepatent periods for 30 sporozoite transmissions by anopheles stephensi, an. dirus, and an. maculatus mosquitoes ranged from 10 to 48 days with a median of 15.5 days. in rhesus monkeys, mean maximum parasite counts for intact animals were 181,970/mul; for splenectomized animals, the mean maximum parasite count was 1,167,890/mul. | 2009 | 19141855 |
| distinct roles of plasmodium rhomboid 1 in parasite development and malaria pathogenesis. | invasion of host cells by the malaria parasite involves recognition and interaction with cell-surface receptors. a wide variety of parasite surface proteins participate in this process, most of which are specific to the parasite's particular invasive form. upon entry, the parasite has to dissociate itself from the host-cell receptors. one mechanism by which it does so is by shedding its surface ligands using specific enzymes. rhomboid belongs to a family of serine proteases that cleave cell-surf ... | 2009 | 19148267 |
| larvicidal activity of oak quercus infectoria oliv. (fagaceae) gall extracts against anopheles stephensi liston. | there is a growing interest in the use of botanical insecticides to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides in order to avoid environmental side effects. anopheles stephensi is the primary vector of urban malaria, an endemic disease in india. so, an effort to assay an. stephensi larvae with gall extracts of quercus infectoria was made under laboratory conditions at mysore. ethyl-acetate extract was found to be the most effective of all the five extracts tested for larvicidal activity against the ... | 2009 | 19148681 |
| recombinant viral vaccines expressing merozoite surface protein-1 induce antibody- and t cell-mediated multistage protection against malaria. | protecting against both liver and blood stages of infection is a long-sought goal of malaria vaccine design. recently, we described the use of replication-defective viral vaccine vectors expressing the malaria antigen merozoite surface protein-1 (msp-1) as an antimalarial vaccine strategy that elicits potent and protective antibody responses against blood-stage parasites. here, we show that vaccine-induced msp-1-specific cd4(+) t cells provide essential help for protective b cell responses, and ... | 2009 | 19154991 |
| insight into the sialome of the black fly, simulium vittatum. | adaptation to vertebrate blood feeding includes development of a salivary "magic potion" that can disarm host hemostasis and inflammatory reactions. within the lower diptera, a vertebrate blood-sucking mode evolved in the psychodidae (sand flies), culicidae (mosquitoes), ceratopogonidae (biting midges), simuliidae (black flies), and the frog-feeding corethrellidae. sialotranscriptome analyses from several species of mosquitoes and sand flies and from one biting midge indicate divergence in the e ... | 2009 | 19166301 |
| molecular characterization of antifolates resistance-associated genes, (dhfr and dhps) in plasmodium vivax isolates from the middle east. | in iran, co-infections of plasmodium vivax and plasmodium falciparum are common and p. vivax infections are often exposed to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (sp). in the present study, the frequency distribution of mutations associated to sp resistance was investigated in pvdhfr and pvdhps genes from field isolates. | 2009 | 19175936 |
| a quantitative in vitro assay for chemical mosquito-deterrent activity without human blood cells. | we report that an aqueous solution containing 10(-3) m adenosine triphosphate (atp) and citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine (cpda-1) can effectively replace transfusable human red blood cells in an in vitro klun and debboun bioassay system for evaluating chemicals for mosquito feeding-deterrent activity, using either aedes aegypti or anopheles stephensi. these species fed with similar avidity through collagen membrane covering aqueous 10(-3) m atp plus cpda-1 or red blood cells in cpda-1 suppleme ... | 2008 | 19181057 |
| sampling of adult mosquito vectors with mosquito magnet pro in panaji, goa, india. | for mosquito vector population monitoring, a new commercial trap, mosquito magnet pro (mm-pro), was tested for its usefulness in goa, india. anopheles stephensi was tested for the presence of plasmodium sporozoite infection in the salivary glands. using the mm-pro 24 h a day for 34 days, 2,329 mosquitoes belonging to 16 species were collected. these included 6 species each of the genera anopheles and culex, 2 species of aedes, and 1 each of mansonia and armigeres. most (91%) of the mosquitoes ca ... | 2008 | 19181075 |
| 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 |
| comparative performance of imagicides on anopheles stephensi, main malaria vector in a malarious area, southern iran. | jiroft district has subtropical climate and prone to seasonal malaria transmission with annual parasite index (api) 4.2 per 1000 in 2006. anopheles stephensi liston is a dominant malaria vector. the monitoring of insecticide susceptibility and irritability was conducted using discriminative dose as described by who. | 2008 | 19248658 |
| two distinct triatoma dimidiata (latreille, 1811) taxa are found in sympatry in guatemala and mexico. | approximately 10 million people are infected with trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of chagas disease, which remains the most serious parasitic disease in the americas. most people are infected via triatomine vectors. transmission has been largely halted in south america in areas with predominantly domestic vectors. however, one of the main chagas vectors in mesoamerica, triatoma dimidiata, poses special challenges to control due to its diversity across its large geographic range (from mexi ... | 2009 | 19274073 |
| challenges and approaches for mosquito targeted malaria control. | malaria is one of today's most serious diseases with an enormous socioeconomic impact. while anti-malarial drugs have existed for some time and vaccines development may be underway, the most successful malaria eradication programs have thus far relied on attacking the mosquito vector that spreads the disease causing agent plasmodium. here we will review past, current and future perspectives of malaria vector control strategies and how these approaches have taken a promising turn thanks recent ad ... | 2009 | 19275622 |
| a possible mechanism for the suppression of plasmodium berghei development in the mosquito anopheles gambiae by the microsporidian vavraia culicis. | microsporidian parasites of mosquitoes offer a possible way of controlling malaria, as they impede the development of plasmodium parasites within the mosquito. the mechanism involved in this interference process is unknown. | 2009 | 19277119 |
| caspar controls resistance to plasmodium falciparum in diverse anopheline species. | immune responses mounted by the malaria vector anopheles gambiae are largely regulated by the toll and imd (immune deficiency) pathways via the nf-kappab transcription factors rel1 and rel2, which are controlled by the negative regulators cactus and caspar, respectively. rel1- and rel2-dependent transcription in a. gambiae has been shown to be particularly critical to the mosquito's ability to manage infection with the rodent malaria parasite plasmodium berghei. using rna interference to deplete ... | 2009 | 19282971 |
| analysis of apyrase 5' upstream region validates improved anopheles gambiae transformation technique. | genetic transformation of the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae has been successfully achieved in recent years, and represents a potentially powerful tool for researchers. tissue-, stage- and sex-specific promoters are essential requirements to support the development of new applications for the transformation technique and potential malaria control strategies. during the plasmodium lifecycle in the invertebrate host, four major mosquito cell types are involved in interactions with the parasite ... | 2009 | 19284522 |
| acetobacter tropicalis is a major symbiont of the olive fruit fly (bactrocera oleae). | following cultivation-dependent and -independent techniques, we investigated the microbiota associated with bactrocera oleae, one of the major agricultural pests in olive-producing countries. bacterial 16s rrna gene libraries and ultrastructural analyses revealed the presence of several bacterial taxa associated with this insect, among which acetobacter tropicalis was predominant. the recent increased detection of acetic acid bacteria as symbionts of other insect model organisms, such as anophel ... | 2009 | 19304818 |
| real-time quantitative pcr for analysis of candidate fungal biopesticides against malaria: technique validation and first applications. | recent research has indicated that fungal biopesticides could augment existing malaria vector control tools. here we present a set of methodologies to monitor the in vivo kinetics of entomopathogenic fungi in anopheles in the presence or absence of malaria parasites using quantitative real-time pcr. three qpcr assays were successfully developed for counting fungal genomes: "specific" assays capable of distinguishing two well characterized fungal entomopathogens beauveria bassiana isolate imi3915 ... | 2009 | 19320043 |
| microbial larvicide application by a large-scale, community-based program reduces malaria infection prevalence in urban dar es salaam, tanzania. | malaria control in africa is most tractable in urban settlements yet most research has focused on rural settings. elimination of malaria transmission from urban areas may require larval control strategies that complement adult mosquito control using insecticide-treated nets or houses, particularly where vectors feed outdoors. | 2009 | 19333402 |
| a small molecule inhibitor of signal peptide peptidase inhibits plasmodium development in the liver and decreases malaria severity. | the liver stage of plasmodium's life cycle is the first, obligatory step in malaria infection. decreasing the hepatic burden of plasmodium infection decreases the severity of disease and constitutes a promising strategy for malaria prophylaxis. the efficacy of the gamma-secretase and signal peptide peptidase inhibitor ly411,575 in targeting plasmodium liver stages was evaluated both in human hepatoma cell lines and in mouse primary hepatocytes. ly411,575 was found to prevent plasmodium's normal ... | 2009 | 19337374 |
| mapk erk signaling regulates the tgf-beta1-dependent mosquito response to plasmodium falciparum. | malaria is caused by infection with intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus plasmodium that are transmitted by anopheles mosquitoes. although a variety of anti-parasite effector genes have been identified in anopheline mosquitoes, little is known about the signaling pathways that regulate these responses during parasite development. here we demonstrate that the mek-erk signaling pathway in anopheles is controlled by ingested human tgf-beta1 and finely tunes mosquito innate immunity to parasite i ... | 2009 | 19343212 |
| insecticidal and repellent activities of thymol from the essential oil of trachyspermum ammi (linn) sprague seeds against anopheles stephensi. | essential oil of seeds of trachyspermum ammi (linn.) sprauge and its pure constituent thymol showed promising results when evaluated for larvicidal, oviposition-deterrent, vapor toxicity, and repellent activity against malarial vector, anopheles stephensi. thymol was 1.6-fold more toxic than the oil toward fourth-instar larvae of a. stephensi with ld(50) values of 48.88 and 80.77 microg/ml, respectively. egg laying by female adults of a. stephensi was much significantly reduced when exposed to v ... | 2009 | 19343365 |
| structure-activity relationship studies on the mosquito toxicity and biting deterrency of callicarpenal derivatives. | callicarpenal (=13,14,15,16-tetranorclerod-3-en-12-al=[(1s,2r,4ar,8ar)-1,2,3,4,4a,7,8,8a-octahydro-1,2,4a,5-tetramethylnaphthalen-1-yl]acetaldehyde; 1) has previously demonstrated significant mosquito bite-deterring activity against aedes aegypti and anopheles stephensi in addition to repellent activity against host-seeking nymphs of the blacklegged tick, ixodes scapularis. in the present study, structural modifications were performed on callicarpenal (1) in an effort to understand the functiona ... | 2009 | 19353538 |
| rodent malaria-resistant strains of the mosquito, anopheles gambiae, have slower population growth than -susceptible strains. | trade-offs between anti-parasite defence mechanisms and other life history traits limit the evolution of host resistance to parasites and have important implications for understanding diseases such as malaria. mosquitoes have not evolved complete resistance to malaria parasites and one hypothesis is that anti-malaria defence mechanisms are costly. | 2009 | 19379508 |
| thermal behaviour of anopheles stephensi in response to infection with malaria and fungal entomopathogens. | temperature is a critical determinant of the development of malaria parasites in mosquitoes, and hence the geographic distribution of malaria risk, but little is known about the thermal preferences of anopheles. a number of other insects modify their thermal behaviour in response to infection. these alterations can be beneficial for the insect or for the infectious agent. given current interest in developing fungal biopesticides for control of mosquitoes, anopheles stephensi were examined to tes ... | 2009 | 19379519 |
| effect of sugar on male anopheles gambiae mating performance, as modified by temperature, space, and body size. | abstract: | 2009 | 19386114 |
| kinetics of mosquito-injected plasmodium sporozoites in mice: fewer sporozoites are injected into sporozoite-immunized mice. | malaria is initiated when the mosquito introduces sporozoites into the skin of a mammalian host. to successfully continue the infection, sporozoites must invade blood vessels in the dermis and be transported to the liver. a significant number of sporozoites, however, may enter lymphatic vessels in the skin or remain in the skin long after the mosquito bite. we have used fluorescence microscopy of plasmodium berghei sporozoites expressing a fluorescent protein to evaluate the kinetics of sporozoi ... | 2009 | 19390607 |
| the serpin gene family in anopheles gambiae. | serpins (serine protease inhibitors) regulate some innate immune responses of insects by inhibiting endogenous proteases. in this study, we characterized the serpin (srpn) gene family in the mosquito anopheles gambiae, the major malaria vector in sub-saharan africa. we identified 18 a. gambiae srpn genes, all on chromosomes 2 and 3, through searches of genomic dna and est databases. in addition to srpn10, previously documented to exhibit alternative splicing, we found three splicing isoforms of ... | 2009 | 19394412 |
| an ancient immunity gene duplication in daphnia magna: rna expression and sequence analysis of two nitric oxide synthase genes. | no (nitric oxide) is a highly reactive free radical gas thought to play a major role in the invertebrate immune response by harming pathogens and limiting their growth. here we report on studies of nitric oxide synthase (nos) genes in the crustacean daphnia, one of the few non-insect arthropod models used to study host-pathogen interactions. while the nos gene is found as a single copy in other invertebrates, we found two copies (nos1 and nos2), which a phylogenetic reconstruction showed to be t ... | 2009 | 19416737 |
| implication of the mosquito midgut microbiota in the defense against malaria parasites. | malaria-transmitting mosquitoes are continuously exposed to microbes, including their midgut microbiota. this naturally acquired microbial flora can modulate the mosquito's vectorial capacity by inhibiting the development of plasmodium and other human pathogens through an unknown mechanism. we have undertaken a comprehensive functional genomic approach to elucidate the molecular interplay between the bacterial co-infection and the development of the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum i ... | 2009 | 19424427 |
| control of pyrethroid-resistant chagas disease vectors with entomopathogenic fungi. | triatoma infestans-mediated transmission of tripanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of chagas disease, remains as a major health issue in southern south america. key factors of t. infestans prevalence in specific areas of the geographic gran chaco region-which extends through northern argentina, bolivia, and paraguay-are both recurrent reinfestations after insecticide spraying and emerging pyrethroid-resistance over the past ten years. among alternative control tools, the pathogenicity of entomop ... | 2009 | 19434231 |
| lisp1 is important for the egress of plasmodium berghei parasites from liver cells. | most apicomplexa are obligatory intracellular parasites that multiply inside a so-called parasitophorous vacuole (pv) formed upon parasite entry into the host cell. plasmodium, the agent of malaria and the apicomplexa most deadly to humans, multiplies in both hepatocytes and erythrocytes in the mammalian host. although much has been learned on how apicomplexa parasites invade host cells inside a pv, little is known of how they rupture the pv membrane and egress host cells. here, we characterize ... | 2009 | 19438514 |
| the anopheles gambiae salivary protein gsg6: an anopheline-specific protein with a blood-feeding role. | the anopheles gambiae salivary gland protein 6 (gsg6) is a small protein specifically found in the salivary glands of adult female mosquitoes. we report here the expression of a recombinant form of the protein and we show that in vivo gsg6 is expressed in distal-lateral lobes and is secreted with the saliva while the female mosquito probes for feeding. injection of gsg6 dsrna into adult a. gambiae females results in decreased gsg6 protein levels, increased probing time and reduced blood feeding ... | 2009 | 19442731 |
| chloroquine resistance before and after its withdrawal in kenya. | the spread of resistance to chloroquine (cq) led to its withdrawal from use in most countries in sub-saharan africa in the 1990s. in malawi, this withdrawal was followed by a rapid reduction in the frequency of resistance to the point where the drug is now considered to be effective once again, just nine years after its withdrawal. in this report, the polymorphisms of markers associated with cq-resistance against plasmodium falciparum isolates from coastal kenya (kilifi) were investigated, from ... | 2009 | 19450282 |
| bacterial diversity analysis of larvae and adult midgut microflora using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods in lab-reared and field-collected anopheles stephensi-an asian malarial vector. | mosquitoes are intermediate hosts for numerous disease causing organisms. vector control is one of the most investigated strategy for the suppression of mosquito-borne diseases. anopheles stephensi is one of the vectors of malaria parasite plasmodium vivax. the parasite undergoes major developmental and maturation steps within the mosquito midgut and little is known about anopheles-associated midgut microbiota. identification and characterization of the mosquito midgut flora is likely to contrib ... | 2009 | 19450290 |
| the stat pathway mediates late-phase immunity against plasmodium in the mosquito anopheles gambiae. | the stat family of transcription factors activates expression of immune system genes in vertebrates. the ancestral stat gene (agstat-a) appears to have duplicated in the mosquito anopheles gambiae, giving rise to a second intronless stat gene (agstat-b), which we show regulates agstat-a expression in adult females. agstat-a participates in the transcriptional activation of nitric oxide synthase (nos) in response to bacterial and plasmodial infection. activation of this pathway, however, is not e ... | 2009 | 19454353 |
| mutagenic analysis of putative domain ii and surface residues in mosquitocidal bacillus thuringiensis cry19aa toxin. | the mosquitocidal crystal protein, cry19aa, from bacillus thuringiensis ssp. jegathesan, has high toxicity to anopheles stephensi and culex pipiens but is less toxic to aedes aegypti. to study the functional role of putative domain ii and surface residues in mosquito toxicity, 16 alanine substitution mutations were introduced into cry19aa. all mutant constructs were expressed as 65-kda protoxins and subsequently digested by trypsin to produce further fragmented polypeptides of 40 and 25 kda. wit ... | 2009 | 19456870 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| analysis of von willebrand factor a domain-related protein (warp) polymorphism in temperate and tropical plasmodium vivax field isolates. | the identification of key molecules is crucial for designing transmission-blocking vaccines (tbvs), among those ookinete micronemal proteins are candidate as a general class of malaria transmission-blocking targets. here, the sequence analysis of an extra-cellular malaria protein expressed in ookinetes, named von willebrand factor a domain-related protein (warp), is reported in 91 plasmodium vivax isolates circulating in different regions of iran. | 2009 | 19549316 |
| the role of nf-kappab factor rel2 in the aedes aegypti immune response. | mosquitoes transmit numerous diseases that continue to be an enormous burden on public health worldwide. transgenic mosquitoes impervious to vector-borne pathogens, in concert with vector control and drug and vaccine development, comprise an arsenal of means anticipated to defeat mosquito-spread diseases in the future. mosquito transgenesis allows tissue-specific manipulation of their major immune pathways and enhances the ability to study mosquito-pathogen interactions. here, we report the gene ... | 2009 | 19552893 |
| analysis of salivary transcripts and antigens of the sand fly phlebotomus arabicus. | sand fly saliva plays an important role in blood feeding and leishmania transmission as it was shown to increase parasite virulence. on the other hand, immunity to salivary components impedes the establishment of infection. therefore, it is most desirable to gain a deeper insight into the composition of saliva in sand fly species which serve as vectors of various forms of leishmaniases. in the present work, we focused on phlebotomus (adlerius) arabicus, which was recently shown to transmit leish ... | 2009 | 19555500 |
| the vasa regulatory region mediates germline expression and maternal transmission of proteins in the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae: a versatile tool for genetic control strategies. | germline specific promoters are an essential component of potential vector control strategies which function by genetic drive, however suitable promoters are not currently available for the main human malaria vector anopheles gambiae. | 2009 | 19573226 |
| malaria parasite development in the mosquito and infection of the mammalian host. | plasmodium sporozoites are the product of a complex developmental process in the mosquito vector and are destined to infect the mammalian liver. attention has been drawn to the mosquito stages and pre-erythrocytic stages owing to recognition that these are bottlenecks in the parasite life cycle and that intervention at these stages can block transmission and prevent infection. parasite progression in the anopheles mosquito, sporozoite transmission to the mammalian host by mosquito bite, and subs ... | 2009 | 19575563 |
| an insight into the transcriptome and proteome of the salivary gland of the stable fly, stomoxys calcitrans. | adult stable flies are blood feeders, a nuisance, and mechanical vectors of veterinary diseases. to enable efficient feeding, blood sucking insects have evolved a sophisticated array of salivary compounds to disarm their host's hemostasis and inflammatory reaction. while the sialomes of several blood sucking nematocera flies have been described, no thorough description has been made so far of any brachycera, except for a detailed proteome analysis of a tabanid (xu et al., 2008). in this work we ... | 2009 | 19576987 |
| analysis of expression in the anopheles gambiae developing testes reveals rapidly evolving lineage-specific genes in mosquitoes. | male mosquitoes do not feed on blood and are not involved in delivery of pathogens to humans. consequently, they are seldom the subjects of research, which results in a very poor understanding of their biology. to gain insights into male developmental processes we sought to identify genes transcribed exclusively in the reproductive tissues of male anopheles gambiae pupae. | 2009 | 19580678 |
| limitation of using synthetic human odours to test mosquito repellents. | gold-standard tests of mosquito repellents involve exposing human volunteers to host-seeking mosquitoes, to assess the protective efficacy of the repellents. these techniques are not exposure-free and cannot be performed prior to toxicological evaluation. it is postulated that synthetic lures could provide a useful assay that mimics in-vivo conditions for use in high-throughput screening for mosquito repellents. | 2009 | 19583848 |
| genetic specificity and potential for local adaptation between dengue viruses and mosquito vectors. | several observations support the hypothesis that vector-driven selection plays an important role in shaping dengue virus (denv) genetic diversity. clustering of denv genetic diversity at a particular location may reflect underlying genetic structure of vector populations, which combined with specific vector genotype x virus genotype (g x g) interactions may promote adaptation of viral lineages to local mosquito vector genotypes. although spatial structure of vector polymorphism at neutral geneti ... | 2009 | 19589156 |
| pcr-based methods for the detection of l1014 kdr mutation in anopheles culicifacies sensu lato. | anopheles culicifacies s.l., a major malaria vector in india, has developed widespread resistance to ddt and is becoming resistant to pyrethroids-the only insecticide class recommended for the impregnation of bed nets. knock-down resistance due to a point mutation in the voltage gated sodium channel at l1014 residue (kdr) is a common mechanism of resistance to ddt and pyrethroids. the selection of this resistance may pose a serious threat to the success of the pyrethroid-impregnated bed net prog ... | 2009 | 19594947 |
| plasmodium sporozoite invasion of the mosquito salivary gland. | about one to two million people die of malaria every year. anopheline mosquitoes are the obligatory vectors of plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria. for transmission to occur, the parasite has to undergo a complex developmental programme in the mosquito, culminating with sporozoite invasion of the salivary glands. strong circumstantial evidence suggests that sporozoite invasion requires specific interactions and recognition between sporozoite and salivary gland proteins. here we revie ... | 2009 | 19608457 |
| trypanosoma rangeli: a new perspective for studying the modulation of immune reactions of rhodnius prolixus. | abstract: insects are exposed to a wide range of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses) and have interconnected powerful immune reactions. although insects lack an acquired immune system they have well-developed innate immune defences that allow a general and rapid response to infectious agents.over the last few decades we have observed a dramatic increase in the knowledge of insect innate immunity, which relies on both humoral and cellular responses. however, innate reactions t ... | 2009 | 19615044 |
| structure of the plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein, a leading malaria vaccine candidate. | the plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (csp) is critical for sporozoite function and invasion of hepatocytes. given its critical nature, a phase iii human csp malaria vaccine trial is ongoing. the csp is composed of three regions as follows: an n terminus that binds heparin sulfate proteoglycans, a four amino acid repeat region (nanp), and a c terminus that contains a thrombospondin-like type i repeat (tsr) domain. despite the importance of csp, little is known about its structure. t ... | 2009 | 19633296 |
| persistent wolbachia and cultivable bacteria infection in the reproductive and somatic tissues of the mosquito vector aedes albopictus. | commensal and symbiotic microbes have a considerable impact on the behavior of many arthropod hosts, including hematophagous species that transmit pathogens causing infectious diseases to human and animals. little is known about the bacteria associated with mosquitoes other than the vectorized pathogens. this study investigated wolbachia and cultivable bacteria that persist through generations in ae. albopictus organs known to host transmitted arboviruses, such as dengue and chikungunya. | 2009 | 19633721 |
| mosquito immune responses and compatibility between plasmodium parasites and anopheline mosquitoes. | functional screens based on dsrna-mediated gene silencing identified several anopheles gambiae genes that limit plasmodium berghei infection. however, some of the genes identified in these screens have no effect on the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum; raising the question of whether different mosquito effector genes mediate anti-parasitic responses to different plasmodium species. | 2009 | 19643026 |
| ecological meta-analysis of density-dependent processes in the transmission of lymphatic filariasis: survival of infected vectors. | the survival rate of infected vectors represents one of the fundamental components that influence the transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne diseases. despite the occurrence of a number of studies investigating mosquito survival after infection with filarial worms, there remains conflicting evidence from both laboratory and field experiments as to the existence and mechanism for parasite-induced mortality among filarial mosquitoes. here, we used a mixed effects meta-analytical framework to comb ... | 2009 | 19645292 |
| functional characterization of a salivary apyrase from the sand fly, phlebotomus duboscqi, a vector of leishmania major. | two transcripts coding for proteins homologous to apyrases were identified by massive sequencing of a phlebotomus (p.) duboscqi salivary gland cdna library. the sequence analysis revealed that the amino acids important for enzymatic activity including nucleotidase activity and the binding of calcium and nucleotides were well conserved in these molecules. a recombinant p. duboscqi salivary apyrase was expressed in escherichia coli and purified. the resulting protein efficiently hydrolyzed adp and ... | 2009 | 19651132 |
| the proteasome inhibitor epoxomicin has potent plasmodium falciparum gametocytocidal activity. | malaria continues to be a major global health problem, but only a limited arsenal of effective drugs is available. none of the antimalarial compounds commonly used clinically kill mature gametocytes, which is the form of the parasite that is responsible for malaria transmission. the parasite that causes the most virulent human malaria, plasmodium falciparum, has a 48-h asexual cycle, while complete sexual differentiation takes 10 to 12 days. once mature, stage v gametocytes circulate in the peri ... | 2009 | 19651911 |
| malarial hemozoin is a nalp3 inflammasome activating danger signal. | background: characteristic symptoms of malaria include recurrent fever attacks and neurodegeneration, signs that are also found in patients with a hyperactive nalp3 inflammasome. plasmodium species produce a crystal called hemozoin that is generated by detoxification of heme after hemoglobin degradation in infected red blood cells. thus, we hypothesized that hemozoin could activate the nalp3 inflammasome, due to its particulate nature reminiscent of other inflammasome-activating agents. methodol ... | 2009 | 19652710 |
| 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 |