| identification of novel pre-erythrocytic malaria antigen candidates for combination vaccines with circumsporozoite protein. | malaria vaccine development has been hampered by the limited availability of antigens identified through conventional discovery approaches, and improvements are needed to enhance the efficacy of the leading vaccine candidate rts,s that targets the circumsporozoite protein (csp) of the infective sporozoite. here we report a transcriptome-based approach to identify novel pre-erythrocytic vaccine antigens that could potentially be used in combination with csp. we hypothesized that stage-specific up ... | 2016 | 27434123 |
| advances and perspectives in the application of crispr/cas9 in insects. | insects compose more than half of all living organisms on earth, playing essential roles in global ecosystems and forming complex relationships with humans. insect research has significant biological and practical importance. however, the application of genetic manipulation technology has long been restricted to several model insects only, such as gene knockout in drosophila, which has severely restrained the development of insect biology research. recently, with the increase in the release of i ... | 0 | 27469253 |
| a putative small solute transporter is responsible for the secretion of g377 and trap-containing secretory vesicles during plasmodium gamete egress and sporozoite motility. | regulated protein secretion is required for malaria parasite life cycle progression and transmission between the mammalian host and mosquito vector. during transmission from the host to the vector, exocytosis of highly specialised secretory vesicles, such as osmiophilic bodies, is key to the dissolution of the red blood cell and parasitophorous vacuole membranes enabling gamete egress. the positioning of adhesins from the trap family, from micronemes to the sporozoite surface, is essential for g ... | 2016 | 27427910 |
| comparative plasmodium gene overexpression reveals distinct perturbation of sporozoite transmission by profilin. | plasmodium relies on actin-based motility to migrate from the site of infection and invade target cells. using a substrate-dependent gliding locomotion, sporozoites are able to move at fast speed (1-3 μm/s). this motility relies on a minimal set of actin regulatory proteins and occurs in the absence of detectable filamentous actin (f-actin). here we report an overexpression strategy to investigate whether perturbations of f-actin steady-state levels affect gliding locomotion and host invasion. w ... | 2016 | 27226484 |
| the actin filament-binding protein coronin regulates motility in plasmodium sporozoites. | parasites causing malaria need to migrate in order to penetrate tissue barriers and enter host cells. here we show that the actin filament-binding protein coronin regulates gliding motility in plasmodium berghei sporozoites, the highly motile forms of a rodent malaria-causing parasite transmitted by mosquitoes. parasites lacking coronin show motility defects that impair colonization of the mosquito salivary glands but not migration in the skin, yet result in decreased transmission efficiency. in ... | 2016 | 27409081 |
| mosquitocidal effect of glycosmis pentaphylla leaf extracts against three mosquito species (diptera: culicidae). | the resistance status of malaria vectors to different classes of insecticides used for public health has raised concern for vector control programmes. alternative compounds to supplement the existing tools are important to be searched to overcome the existing resistance and persistence of pesticides in vectors and the environment respectively. the mosquitocidal effects of glycosmis pentaphylla using different solvents of acetone, methanol, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts against three medi ... | 2016 | 27391146 |
| biodiversity and activity of the gut microbiota across the life history of the insect herbivore spodoptera littoralis. | microbes that live inside insects play critical roles in host nutrition, physiology, and behavior. although lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) are one of the most diverse insect taxa, their microbial symbionts are little-studied, particularly during metamorphosis. here, using ribosomal tag pyrosequencing of dna and rna, we investigated biodiversity and activity of gut microbiotas across the holometabolous life cycle of spodoptera littoralis, a notorious agricultural pest worldwide. proteobacter ... | 2016 | 27389097 |
| plasmodium adometdc/odc bifunctional enzyme is essential for male sexual stage development and mosquito transmission. | polyamines are positively-charged organic molecules that are important for cellular growth and division. polyamines and their synthesizing enzymes are particularly abundant in rapidly proliferating eukaryotic cells such as parasitic protozoa and cancer cells. polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors, such as elfornithine, are now being considered for cancer prevention and have been used effectively against trypanosoma brucei inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis have caused growth arrest of plasmodium f ... | 2016 | 27387533 |
| overexpression of plasmodium berghei atg8 by liver forms leads to cumulative defects in organelle dynamics and to generation of noninfectious merozoites. | plasmodium parasites undergo continuous cellular renovation to adapt to various environments in the vertebrate host and insect vector. in hepatocytes, plasmodium berghei discards unneeded organelles for replication, such as micronemes involved in invasion. concomitantly, intrahepatic parasites expand organelles such as the apicoplast that produce essential metabolites. we previously showed that the atg8 conjugation system is upregulated in p. berghei liver forms and that p. berghei atg8 (pbatg8) ... | 2016 | 27353755 |
| evolution of the transmission-blocking vaccine candidates pvs28 and pvs25 in plasmodium vivax: geographic differentiation and evidence of positive selection. | transmission-blocking (tb) vaccines are considered an important tool for malaria control and elimination. among all the antigens characterized as tb vaccines against plasmodium vivax, the ookinete surface proteins pvs28 and pvs25 are leading candidates. these proteins likely originated by a gene duplication event that took place before the radiation of the known plasmodium species to primates. we report an evolutionary genetic analysis of a worldwide sample of pvs28 and pvs25 alleles. our result ... | 2016 | 27347876 |
| sas6-like protein in plasmodium indicates that conoid-associated apical complex proteins persist in invasive stages within the mosquito vector. | the sas6-like (sas6l) protein, a truncated paralogue of the ubiquitous basal body/centriole protein sas6, has been characterised recently as a flagellum protein in trypanosomatids, but associated with the conoid in apicomplexan toxoplasma. the conoid has been suggested to derive from flagella parts, but is thought to have been lost from some apicomplexans including the malaria-causing genus plasmodium. presence of sas6l in plasmodium, therefore, suggested a possible role in flagella assembly in ... | 2016 | 27339728 |
| de novo transcriptome analysis of the common new zealand stick insect clitarchus hookeri (phasmatodea) reveals genes involved in olfaction, digestion and sexual reproduction. | phasmatodea, more commonly known as stick insects, have been poorly studied at the molecular level for several key traits, such as components of the sensory system and regulators of reproduction and development, impeding a deeper understanding of their functional biology. here, we employ de novo transcriptome analysis to identify genes with primary functions related to female odour reception, digestion, and male sexual traits in the new zealand common stick insect clitarchus hookeri (white). the ... | 2016 | 27336743 |
| systematic tracking of altered haematopoiesis during sporozoite-mediated malaria development reveals multiple response points. | haematopoiesis is the complex developmental process that maintains the turnover of all blood cell lineages. it critically depends on the correct functioning of rare, quiescent haematopoietic stem cells (hscs) and more numerous, hsc-derived, highly proliferative and differentiating haematopoietic progenitor cells (hpcs). infection is known to affect hscs, with severe and chronic inflammatory stimuli leading to stem cell pool depletion, while acute, non-lethal infections exert transient and even p ... | 0 | 27335321 |
| malaria transmission potential could be reduced with current and future climate change. | several studies suggest the potential for climate change to increase malaria incidence in cooler, marginal transmission environments. however, the effect of increasing temperature in warmer regions where conditions currently support endemic transmission has received less attention. we investigate how increases in temperature from optimal conditions (27 °c to 30 °c and 33 °c) interact with realistic diurnal temperature ranges (dtr: ± 0 °c, 3 °c, and 4.5 °c) to affect the ability of key vector spe ... | 2016 | 27324146 |
| in vitro analysis of the interaction between atovaquone and proguanil against liver stage malaria parasites. | the interaction between atovaquone and proguanil has never been studied against liver stage malaria, which is the main target of this drug combination when used for chemoprevention. using human hepatocytes lacking cytochrome p450 activity, and thus avoiding proguanil metabolizing into potent cycloguanil, we show in vitro that the atovaquone-proguanil combination synergistically inhibits the growth of rodent plasmodium yoelii parasites. these results provide a pharmacological basis for the high e ... | 2016 | 26926628 |
| il-22 dampens the t cell response in experimental malaria. | a tight regulation between the pro- and anti-inflammatory immune responses during plasmodial infection is of crucial importance, since a disruption leads to severe malaria pathology. il-22 is a member of the il-10 cytokine family, which is known to be highly important in immune regulation. we could detect high plasma levels of il-22 in plasmodium falciparum malaria as well as in plasmodium berghei anka (pba)-infected c57bl/6j mice. the deficiency of il-22 in mice during pba infection led to an e ... | 2016 | 27311945 |
| safety and high level efficacy of the combination malaria vaccine regimen of rts,s/as01b with chimpanzee adenovirus 63 and modified vaccinia ankara vectored vaccines expressing me-trap. | the need for a highly efficacious vaccine against plasmodium falciparum remains pressing. in this controlled human malaria infection (chmi) study, we assessed the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of a schedule combining 2 distinct vaccine types in a staggered immunization regimen: one inducing high-titer antibodies to circumsporozoite protein (rts,s/as01b) and the other inducing potent t-cell responses to thrombospondin-related adhesion protein (trap) by using a viral vector. | 2016 | 27307573 |
| maternally supplied s-acyl-transferase is required for crystalloid organelle formation and transmission of the malaria parasite. | transmission of the malaria parasite from the mammalian host to the mosquito vector requires the formation of adequately adapted parasite forms and stage-specific organelles. here we show that formation of the crystalloid-a unique and short-lived organelle of the plasmodium ookinete and oocyst stage required for sporogony-is dependent on the precisely timed expression of the s-acyl-transferase dhhc10. dhhc10, translationally repressed in female plasmodium berghei gametocytes, is activated transl ... | 2016 | 27303037 |
| transmission blocking potency and immunogenicity of a plant-produced pvs25-based subunit vaccine against plasmodium vivax. | malaria transmission blocking (tb) vaccines (tbvs) directed against proteins expressed on the sexual stages of plasmodium parasites are a potentially effective means to reduce transmission. antibodies induced by tbvs block parasite development in the mosquito, and thus inhibit transmission to further human hosts. the ookinete surface protein p25 is a primary target for tbv development. recently, transient expression in plants using hybrid viral vectors has demonstrated potential as a strategy fo ... | 2016 | 27177945 |
| long-term prophylactic antibiotic treatment: effects on survival, immunocompetence and reproduction success of parasemia plantaginis (lepidoptera: erebidae). | hundreds of insect species are nowadays reared under laboratory conditions. rearing of insects always implicates the risk of diseases, among which microbial infections are the most frequent and difficult problems. although there are effective prophylactic treatments, the side effects of applied antibiotics are not well understood. we examined the effect of prophylactic antibiotic treatment on the overwintering success of wood tiger moth (parasemia plantaginis) larvae, and the postdiapause effect ... | 2016 | 27271967 |
| leucokinin mimetic elicits aversive behavior in mosquito aedes aegypti (l.) and inhibits the sugar taste neuron. | insect kinins (leucokinins) are multifunctional peptides acting as neurohormones and neurotransmitters. in females of the mosquito vector aedes aegypti (l.), aedeskinins are known to stimulate fluid secretion from the renal organs (malpighian tubules) and hindgut contractions by activating a g protein-coupled kinin receptor designated "aedae-kr." we used protease-resistant kinin analogs 1728, 1729, and 1460 to evaluate their effects on sucrose perception and feeding behavior. in no-choice feedin ... | 2016 | 27274056 |
| protective efficacy and safety of liver stage attenuated malaria parasites. | during the clinically silent liver stage of a plasmodium infection the parasite replicates from a single sporozoite into thousands of merozoites. infection of humans and rodents with large numbers of sporozoites that arrest their development within the liver can cause sterile protection from subsequent infections. disruption of genes essential for liver stage development of rodent malaria parasites has yielded a number of attenuated parasite strains. a key question to this end is how increased a ... | 2016 | 27241521 |
| the machinery underlying malaria parasite virulence is conserved between rodent and human malaria parasites. | sequestration of red blood cells infected with the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum in organs such as the brain is considered important for pathogenicity. a similar phenomenon has been observed in mouse models of malaria, using the rodent parasite plasmodium berghei, but it is unclear whether the p. falciparum proteins known to be involved in this process are conserved in the rodent parasite. here we identify the p. berghei orthologues of two such key factors of p. falciparum, sbp1 a ... | 2016 | 27225796 |
| the development of malaria parasites in the mosquito midgut. | the mosquito midgut stages of malaria parasites are crucial for establishing an infection in the insect vector and to thus ensure further spread of the pathogen. parasite development in the midgut starts with the activation of the intraerythrocytic gametocytes immediately after take-up and ends with traversal of the midgut epithelium by the invasive ookinetes less than 24 h later. during this time period, the plasmodia undergo two processes of stage conversion, from gametocytes to gametes and fr ... | 2016 | 27111866 |
| evaluation of sublethal effects of ipomoea cairica linn. extract on life history traits of dengue vectors. | plant derived insecticides have considerable potential for mosquito control because these products are safer than conventional insecticides. this study aimed to investigate sublethal activities of ipomoea carica or railway creeper crude acethonilic extract against life history trait of dengue vectors, aedes albopictus and aedes aegypti. the late third instar larvae of ae. albopictus and ae. aegypti were exposed to a sublethal dose at lc50 and larvae that survived were further cultured. overall, ... | 2016 | 27253746 |
| pre-clinical evaluation of cyp 2d6 dependent drug-drug interactions between primaquine and ssri/snri antidepressants. | the liver-stage anti-malarial activity of primaquine and other 8-aminoquinoline molecules has been linked to bio-activation through cyp 2d6 metabolism. factors such as cyp 2d6 poor metabolizer status and/or co-administration of drugs that inhibit/interact with cyp 2d6 could alter the pharmacological properties of primaquine. | 2016 | 27188854 |
| analysis of the dose-dependent stage-specific in vitro efficacy of a multi-stage malaria vaccine candidate cocktail. | the high incidence and mortality rate of malaria remains a serious burden for many developing countries, and a vaccine that induces durable and highly effective immune responses is, therefore, desirable. an earlier analysis of the stage-specific in vitro efficacy of a malaria vaccine candidate cocktail (vamax) considered the general properties of complex multi-component, multi-stage combination vaccines in rabbit immunization experiments using a hyper-immunization protocol featuring six consecut ... | 2016 | 27188716 |
| variability of bacterial communities in the moth heliothis virescens indicates transient association with the host. | microbes associated with insects can confer a wide range of ecologically relevant benefits to their hosts. since insect-associated bacteria often increase the nutritive value of their hosts' diets, the study of bacterial communities is especially interesting in species that are important agricultural pests. we investigated the composition of bacterial communities in the noctuid moth heliothis virescens and its variability in relation to developmental stage, diet and population (field and laborat ... | 2016 | 27139886 |
| development of a plasmodium berghei transgenic parasite expressing the full-length plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite vk247 protein for testing vaccine efficacy in a murine model. | the approach of using transgenic rodent malaria parasites to assess the immune system's response to antigenic targets from a human malaria parasite has been shown to be useful for preclinical evaluation of new vaccine formulations. the transgenic plasmodium berghei parasite line [pvcsp(vk210)/pb] generated previously expresses the full-length circumsporozoite protein (csp) vk210 from plasmodium vivax. the transgenic parasite expresses one of the two most common alleles of csp, defined by nine am ... | 2016 | 27129682 |
| a plasmodium promiscuous t cell epitope delivered within the ad5 hexon protein enhances the protective efficacy of a protein based malaria vaccine. | a malaria vaccine is a public health priority. in order to produce an effective vaccine, a multistage approach targeting both the blood and the liver stage infection is desirable. the vaccine candidates also need to induce balanced immune responses including antibodies, cd4+ and cd8+ t cells. protein-based subunit vaccines like rts,s are able to induce strong antibody response but poor cellular reactivity. adenoviral vectors have been effective inducing protective cd8+ t cell responses in severa ... | 2016 | 27128437 |
| co-administration of α-galcer analog and tlr4 agonist induces robust cd8(+) t-cell responses to pycs protein and wt-1 antigen and activates memory-like effector nkt cells. | in the present study, the combined adjuvant effect of 7dw8-5, a potent α-galcer-analog, and monophosphoryl lipid a (mpla), a tlr4 agonist, on the induction of vaccine-induced cd8(+) t-cell responses and protective immunity was evaluated. mice were immunized with peptides corresponding to the cd8(+) t-cell epitopes of a malaria antigen, a circumsporozoite protein of plasmodium yoelii, and a tumor antigen, a wilms tumor antigen-1 (wt-1), together with 7dw8-5 and mpla, as an adjuvant. these immuniz ... | 2016 | 27132023 |
| bacterial superglue enables easy development of efficient virus-like particle based vaccines. | virus-like particles (vlps) represent a significant advance in the development of subunit vaccines, combining high safety and efficacy. their particulate nature and dense repetitive subunit organization makes them ideal scaffolds for display of vaccine antigens. traditional approaches for vlp-based antigen display require labor-intensive trial-and-error optimization, and often fail to generate dense antigen display. here we utilize the split-intein (spytag/spycatcher) conjugation system to gener ... | 2016 | 27117585 |
| how important is the angle of tilt in the who cone bioassay? | the world health organization (who) cone bioassay plays an integral role in the evaluation of the efficacy of long-lasting insecticidal nets as well as insecticides used in indoor residual spraying. the test is used on a variety of treated substrates, such as pieces of bed nets, mud, cement and wood. the cone setup assumes a wide variety of angles under different settings in which it is applied. however, the guidelines provided for the performance of the assay do not specify the angle at which t ... | 2016 | 27118476 |
| defining rules of cd8(+) t cell expansion against pre-erythrocytic plasmodium antigens in sporozoite-immunized mice. | whole plasmodium sporozoites serve as both experimental tools and potentially as deployable vaccines in the fight against malaria infection. live sporozoites infect hepatocytes and induce a diverse repertoire of cd8(+) t cell responses, some of which are capable of killing plasmodium-infected hepatocytes. previous studies in plasmodium yoelii-immunized balb/c mice showed that some cd8(+) t cell responses expanded with repeated parasite exposure, whereas other responses did not. | 2016 | 27113469 |
| suppressor of hairy-wing, modifier of mdg4 and centrosomal protein of 190 gene orthologues of the gypsy insulator complex in the malaria mosquito, anopheles stephensi. | dna insulators organize independent gene regulatory domains and can regulate interactions amongst promoter and enhancer elements. they have the potential to be important in genome enhancing and editing technologies because they can mitigate chromosomal position effects on transgenes. the orthologous genes of the anopheles stephensi putative gypsy-like insulator protein complex were identified and expression characteristics studied. these genes encode polypeptides with all the expected protein do ... | 2016 | 27110891 |
| a plasmodium yoelii mei2-like rna binding protein is essential for completion of liver stage schizogony. | plasmodium parasites employ posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms as their life cycle transitions between host cell invasion and replication within both the mosquito vector and mammalian host. rna binding proteins (rbps) provide one mechanism for modulation of rna function. to explore the role of plasmodium rbps during parasite replication, we searched for rbps that might play a role during liver stage development, the parasite stage that exhibits the most extensive growth and replication. w ... | 2016 | 26883588 |
| an ultrasensitive nanoluc-based luminescence system for monitoring plasmodium berghei throughout its life cycle. | bioluminescence imaging is widely used for cell-based assays and animal imaging studies, both in biomedical research and drug development. its main advantages include its high-throughput applicability, affordability, high sensitivity, operational simplicity, and quantitative outputs. in malaria research, bioluminescence has been used for drug discovery in vivo and in vitro, exploring host-pathogen interactions, and studying multiple aspects of plasmodium biology. while the number of fluorescent ... | 2016 | 27102897 |
| enhanced transmission of malaria parasites to mosquitoes in a murine model of type 2 diabetes. | more than half of the world's population is at risk of malaria and simultaneously, many malaria-endemic regions are facing dramatic increases in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. studies in murine malaria models have examined the impact of malaria infection on type 2 diabetes pathology, it remains unclear how this chronic metabolic disorder impacts the transmission of malaria. in this report, the ability type 2 diabetic rodents infected with malaria to transmit parasites to anopheles stephensi ... | 2016 | 27102766 |
| a novel xenomonitoring technique using mosquito excreta/feces for the detection of filarial parasites and malaria. | given the continued successes of the world's lymphatic filariasis (lf) elimination programs and the growing successes of many malaria elimination efforts, the necessity of low cost tools and methodologies applicable to long-term disease surveillance is greater than ever before. as many countries reach the end of their lf mass drug administration programs and a growing number of countries realize unprecedented successes in their malaria intervention efforts, the need for practical molecular xenom ... | 2016 | 27096156 |
| parasites resistant to the antimalarial atovaquone fail to transmit by mosquitoes. | drug resistance compromises control of malaria. here, we show that resistance to a commonly used antimalarial medication, atovaquone, is apparently unable to spread. atovaquone pressure selects parasites with mutations in cytochrome b, a respiratory protein with low but essential activity in the mammalian blood phase of the parasite life cycle. resistance mutations rescue parasites from the drug but later prove lethal in the mosquito phase, where parasites require full respiration. unable to res ... | 0 | 27081071 |
| a highly infectious plasmodium yoelii parasite, bearing plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein. | plasmodium circumsporozoite protein (csp) is a major surface antigen present in the sporozoite (spz) stage of a malaria parasite. rts, s vaccine, the most clinically advanced malaria vaccine, consists of a large portion of plasmodium falciparum csp (pfcsp). a highly infectious, recombinant rodent malaria, plasmodium yoelii parasite bearing a full-length pfcsp, pfcsp/py spz, was needed as a tool to evaluate the role of pfcsp in mediating, protective, anti-malaria immunity in a mouse model. | 2016 | 27068454 |
| apicomplexa-specific trip facilitates import of exogenous trnas into malaria parasites. | the malaria-causing plasmodium parasites are transmitted to vertebrates by mosquitoes. to support their growth and replication, these intracellular parasites, which belong to the phylum apicomplexa, have developed mechanisms to exploit their hosts. these mechanisms include expropriation of small metabolites from infected host cells, such as purine nucleotides and amino acids. heretofore, no evidence suggested that transfer rnas (trnas) could also be exploited. we identified an unusual gene in ap ... | 2016 | 27071116 |
| characterization of a plasmodium berghei sexual stage antigen pbph as a new candidate for malaria transmission-blocking vaccine. | transmission-blocking vaccines (tbvs) are a promising strategy for malaria control and elimination. however, candidate tbv antigens are currently limited, highlighting the urgency of identifying new antigens for tbv development. | 2016 | 27038925 |
| determination of asymptomatic malaria among afghani and pakistani immigrants and native population in south of kerman province, iran. | this study was proposed to monitor the situation of asymptomatic malaria among the native population and afghani and pakistani immigrants in kahnooj and ghale-ganj districts from kerman province, southeastern iran. | 0 | 28096860 |
| insect transformation with piggybac: getting the number of injections just right. | the insertion of exogenous genetic cargo into insects using transposable elements is a powerful research tool with potential applications in meeting food security and public health challenges facing humanity. piggybac is the transposable element most commonly utilized for insect germline transformation. the described efficiency of this process is variable in the published literature, and a comprehensive review of transformation efficiency in insects is lacking. this study compared and contrasted ... | 2016 | 27027400 |
| the plasmodium phist and resa-like protein families of human and rodent malaria parasites. | the phist gene family has members identified across the plasmodium genus, defined by the presence of a domain of roughly 150 amino acids having conserved aromatic residues and an all alpha-helical structure. the family is highly amplified in p. falciparum, with 65 predicted genes in the genome of the 3d7 isolate. in contrast, in the rodent malaria parasite p. berghei 3 genes are identified, one of which is an apparent pseudogene. transcripts of the p. berghei phist genes are predominant in schiz ... | 2016 | 27022937 |
| plasmodium falciparum cyclic amine resistance locus (pfcarl), a resistance mechanism for two distinct compound classes. | mmv007564 is a novel antimalarial benzimidazolyl piperidine chemotype identified in cellular screens. to identify the genetic determinant of mmv007564 resistance, parasites were cultured in the presence of the compound to generate resistant lines. whole genome sequencing revealed distinct mutations in the gene named plasmodium falciparum cyclic amine resistance locus (pfcarl), encoding a conserved protein of unknown function. mutations in pfcarl are strongly associated with resistance to a struc ... | 2016 | 27933786 |
| splice form variant and amino acid changes in mdr49 confers ddt resistance in transgenic drosophila. | the atp-binding cassette (abc) transporters represent a superfamily of proteins that have important physiological roles in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. in insects, abc transporters have previously been implicated in insecticide resistance. the 91-r strain of drosophila melanogaster has been intensely selected with ddt over six decades. a recent selective sweeps analysis of 91-r implicated the potential role of mdr49, an abc transporter, in ddt resistance, however, to date the details of how ... | 2016 | 27003579 |
| efficient monitoring of the blood-stage infection in a malaria rodent model by the rotating-crystal magneto-optical method. | intense research efforts have been focused on the improvement of the efficiency and sensitivity of malaria diagnostics, especially in resource-limited settings for the detection of asymptomatic infections. our recently developed magneto-optical (mo) method allows the accurate quantification of malaria pigment crystals (hemozoin) in blood by their magnetically induced rotation. first evaluations of the method using β-hematin crystals and in vitro p. falciparum cultures implied its potential for h ... | 2016 | 26983695 |
| construction site workers' malaria knowledge and treatment-seeking pattern in a highly endemic urban area of india. | construction sites are potential breeding places for some species of mosquitoes. construction workers usually stay at the construction sites, thus being extremely susceptible to malaria. for malaria control, a special focus on them is warranted as they often seek treatment from unregulated, private vendors, increasing their risk of exposure to substandard drugs. | 2016 | 26984276 |
| anti-infective metabolites of a newly isolated bacillus thuringiensis kl1 associated with kalmegh (andrographis paniculata nees.), a traditional medicinal herb. | this study was conducted to isolate endophytic bacteria possessing anti-infective property from kalmegh (andrographis paniculata nees.), a well-known medicinal plant. a total of 23 strains were isolated from this plant among which the strain kl1, isolated from surface-sterilized leaf of this medicinal herb, showed broad-spectrum antagonism against an array of gram-positive and -negative bacterial pathogens. ethyl acetate extract of kl1-fermented media yielded a greenish amorphous substance retai ... | 2016 | 26997870 |
| paratransgenesis to control malaria vectors: a semi-field pilot study. | malaria still remains a serious health burden in developing countries, causing more than 1 million deaths annually. given the lack of an effective vaccine against its major etiological agent, plasmodium falciparum, and the growing resistance of this parasite to the currently available drugs repertoire and of anopheles mosquitoes to insecticides, the development of innovative control measures is an imperative to reduce malaria transmission. paratransgenesis, the modification of symbiotic organism ... | 2016 | 26965746 |
| genome sequence of stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain smas1, isolated from the asian malaria mosquito anopheles stephensi. | an isolate of stenotrophomonas maltophilia was cultured from the asian malaria vector anopheles stephensi. here, we present the annotated draft genome sequence of this s. maltophilia strain. this genomic resource will facilitate further characterization of bacteria associated with mosquitoes. | 2016 | 26966198 |
| genome sequences of staphylococcus hominis strains shas1, shas2, and shas3, isolated from the asian malaria mosquito anopheles stephensi. | staphylococcus hominis is a culturable component of the bacterial microbiome of anopheles stephensi. here, we present the annotated draft genome sequences of three s. hominis isolates from a. stephensi. these genomic resources will facilitate experiments to further our understanding of the role of bacteria in mosquito biology. | 2016 | 26966197 |
| genome sequence of elizabethkingia anophelis strain eaas1, isolated from the asian malaria mosquito anopheles stephensi. | we sequenced the genome of a strain of the gram-negative bacterial species elizabethkingia anophelis, which is an important component of the anopheles mosquito microbiome. this genome sequence will add to the list of resources used to examine host-microbe interactions in mosquitoes. | 2016 | 26966196 |
| experimental cerebral malaria spreads along the rostral migratory stream. | it is poorly understood how progressive brain swelling in experimental cerebral malaria (ecm) evolves in space and over time, and whether mechanisms of inflammation or microvascular sequestration/obstruction dominate the underlying pathophysiology. we therefore monitored in the plasmodium berghei anka-c57bl/6 murine ecm model, disease manifestation and progression clinically, assessed by the rapid-murine-coma-and-behavioral-scale (rmcbs), and by high-resolution in vivo mri, including sensitive a ... | 2016 | 26964100 |
| predicting factors for malaria re-introduction: an applied model in an elimination setting to prevent malaria outbreaks. | malaria re-introduction is a challenge in elimination settings. to prevent re-introduction, receptivity, vulnerability, and health system capacity of foci should be monitored using appropriate tools. this study aimed to design an applicable model to monitor predicting factors of re-introduction of malaria in highly prone areas. | 2016 | 26935846 |
| safety, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy of intradermal immunization with aseptic, purified, cryopreserved plasmodium falciparum sporozoites in volunteers under chloroquine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial. | immunization of volunteers under chloroquine prophylaxis by bites of plasmodium falciparum sporozoite (pfspz)-infected mosquitoes induces > 90% protection against controlled human malaria infection (chmi). we studied intradermal immunization with cryopreserved, infectious pfspz in volunteers taking chloroquine (pfspz chemoprophylaxis vaccine [cvac]). vaccine groups 1 and 3 received 3× monthly immunizations with 7.5 × 10(4) pfspz. control groups 2 and 4 received normal saline. groups 1 and 2 unde ... | 2015 | 26711509 |
| fitness consequences of altered feeding behavior in immune-challenged mosquitoes. | malaria-infected mosquitoes have been reported to be more likely to take a blood meal when parasites are infectious than when non-infectious. this change in feeding behavior increases the likelihood of malaria transmission, and has been considered an example of parasite manipulation of host behavior. however, immune challenge with heat-killed escherichia coli induces the same behavior, suggesting that altered feeding behavior may be driven by adaptive responses of hosts to cope with an immune re ... | 2016 | 26927687 |
| maduramicin rapidly eliminates malaria parasites and potentiates the gametocytocidal activity of the pyrazoleamide pa21a050. | new strategies targeting plasmodium falciparum gametocytes, the sexual-stage parasites that are responsible for malaria transmission, are needed to eradicate this disease. most commonly used antimalarials are ineffective against p. falciparum gametocytes, allowing patients to continue to be infectious for over a week after asexual parasite clearance. a recent screen for gametocytocidal compounds demonstrated that the carboxylic polyether ionophore maduramicin is active at low nanomolar concentra ... | 2015 | 26711768 |
| discovery of dual-stage malaria inhibitors with new targets. | malaria remains a major global health problem, with more than half of the world population at risk of contracting the disease and nearly a million deaths each year. here, we report the discovery of inhibitors that target multiple stages of malaria parasite growth. to identify these inhibitors, we took advantage of the tres cantos antimalarial compound set (tcams) small-molecule library, which is comprised of diverse and potent chemical scaffolds with activities against the blood stage of the mal ... | 2015 | 26666931 |
| fabrication of metal nanoparticles from fungi and metal salts: scope and application. | fungi secrete enzymes and proteins as reducing agents which can be used for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles from metal salts. large-scale production of nanoparticles from diverse fungal strains has great potential since they can be grown even in vitro. in recent years, various approaches have been made to maximize the yield of nanoparticles of varying shape, size, and stability. they have been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, x-ray diffractometry, sem/tem, zeta potential measure ... | 2016 | 26909778 |
| plasmodium falciparum ookinete expression of plasmepsin vii and plasmepsin x. | plasmodium invasion of the mosquito midgut is a population bottleneck in the parasite lifecycle. interference with molecular mechanisms by which the ookinete invades the mosquito midgut is one potential approach to developing malaria transmission-blocking strategies. plasmodium aspartic proteases are one such class of potential targets: plasmepsin iv (known to be present in the asexual stage food vacuole) was previously shown to be involved in plasmodium gallinaceum infection of the mosquito mid ... | 2016 | 26911483 |
| plasmodium falciparum pfset7: enzymatic characterization and cellular localization of a novel protein methyltransferase in sporozoite, liver and erythrocytic stage parasites. | epigenetic control via reversible histone methylation regulates transcriptional activation throughout the malaria parasite genome, controls the repression of multi-copy virulence gene families and determines sexual stage commitment. plasmodium falciparum encodes ten predicted set domain-containing protein methyltransferases, six of which have been shown to be refractory to knock-out in blood stage parasites. we have expressed and purified the first recombinant malaria methyltransferase in suffic ... | 2016 | 26902486 |
| laser induced mortality of anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. | small, flying insects continue to pose great risks to both human health and agricultural production throughout the world, so there remains a compelling need to develop new vector and pest control approaches. here, we examined the use of short (<25 ms) laser pulses to kill or disable anesthetized female anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, which were chosen as a representative species. the mortality of mosquitoes exposed to laser pulses of various wavelength, power, pulse duration, and spot size combi ... | 2016 | 26887786 |
| transmission-blocking strategies: the roadmap from laboratory bench to the community. | malaria remains one of the most prevalent tropical and infectious diseases in the world, with an estimated more than 200 million clinical cases every year. in recent years, the mosquito stages of the parasite life cycle have received renewed attention with some progress being made in the development of transmission-blocking strategies. from gametocytes to late ookinetes, some attractive antigenic targets have been found and tested in order to develop a transmission blocking vaccine, and drugs ar ... | 2016 | 26888537 |
| development of non-defective recombinant densovirus vectors for microrna delivery in the invasive vector mosquito, aedes albopictus. | we previously reported that mosquito densoviruses (mdvs) are potential vectors for delivering foreign nucleic acids into mosquito cells. however, considering existing expression strategies, recombinant viruses would inevitably become replication-defective viruses and lose their ability for secondary transmission. the packaging limitations of the virion represent a barrier for the development of mdvs for viral paratransgenesis or as high-efficiency bioinsecticides. herein, we report the developme ... | 2016 | 26879823 |
| an evidence-based review on medicinal plants used as insecticide and insect repellent in traditional iranian medicine. | insects can be the cause of major ecological problems; they can transmit microbes and parasites that affect humans, and damage food crops, trees, and homes. the total economic cost of insect-related damage and disease is immeasurable. in traditional iranian medicine (tim), several medicinal plants have been identified as insecticides or insect repellents, but many of them are still unknown. therefore, the aim of this study was to review the insecticidal or insect repellent activity of certain me ... | 2016 | 27186389 |
| high-throughput luciferase-based assay for the discovery of therapeutics that prevent malaria. | in order to identify the most attractive starting points for drugs that can be used to prevent malaria, a diverse chemical space comprising tens of thousands to millions of small molecules may need to be examined. achieving this throughput necessitates the development of efficient ultra-high-throughput screening methods. here, we report the development and evaluation of a luciferase-based phenotypic screen of malaria exoerythrocytic-stage parasites optimized for a 1536-well format. this assay us ... | 2016 | 27275010 |
| large-scale anopheles arabiensis egg quantification methods for mass-rearing operations. | the success of the sterile insect technique relies, among other things, on the continuous release of over flooding numbers of sexually competitive sterile males into the target area. to produce sufficiently large quantities of sterile males, rearing protocols need to be optimized including the development and validation of a standardized egg quantification method. | 2016 | 26852018 |
| identification of male- and female-specific olfaction genes in antennae of the oriental fruit fly (bactrocera dorsalis). | the oriental fruit fly (bactrocera dorsalis) is a species of tephritid fruit fly, endemic to southeast asia but also introduced to many regions of the us, and it is one of the major pest species with a broad host range of cultivated and wild fruits. although males of b. dorsalis respond strongly to methyl eugenol and this is used for monitoring and estimating populations, the molecular mechanism of the oriental fruit fly olfaction has not been elucidated yet. therefore, in this project, using ne ... | 2016 | 26845547 |
| developing antibodies from cholinesterase derived from prokaryotic expression and testing their feasibility for detecting immunogen content in daphnia magna. | to yield cholinesterase (che) from prokaryotic expression, the che gene that belongs to daphnia magna was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) using forward primer 5'-cccyggngcsat gatgtg-3' and reverse primer 5'-gyaagttrgcccaatatct-3'. to express the gene, one sequence of the amplified dna, which was able to encode a putative protein containing two conserved carboxylesterase domains, was connected to the prokaryotic expression vector pet-29a(+). the recombinant v ... | 0 | 26834012 |
| aphicidal activity of illicium verum fruit extracts and their effects on the acetylcholinesterase and glutathione s-transferases activities in myzus persicae (hemiptera: aphididae). | this study aims to explore the aphicidal activity and underlying mechanism of illicium verum hook. f. that is used as both food and medicine. the contact toxicity of the extracts from i. verum fruit with methyl alcohol (ma), ethyl acetate (ea), and petroleum ether (pe) against myzus persicae (sulzer), and the activities of acetylcholinesterase (ache) and glutathione s-transferases (gsts) of m. persicae after contact treatment were tested. the results showed that ma, ea, and pe extracts of 1.000 ... | 2016 | 26826651 |
| mycobacterium tuberculosis coinfection has no impact on plasmodium berghei anka-induced experimental cerebral malaria in c57bl/6 mice. | cerebral malaria (cm) is the most severe complication of human infection with plasmodium falciparum. the mechanisms predisposing to cm are still not fully understood. proinflammatory immune responses are required for the control of blood-stage malaria infection but are also implicated in the pathogenesis of cm. a fine balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory immune responses is required for parasite clearance without the induction of host pathology. the most accepted experimental model to stud ... | 2015 | 26644378 |
| translational control of uis4 protein of the host-parasite interface is mediated by the rna binding protein puf2 in plasmodium berghei sporozoites. | uis4 is a key protein component of the host-parasite interface in the liver stage of the rodent malaria parasite plasmodium berghei and required for parasite survival after invasion. in the infectious sporozoite, uis4 protein has variably been shown to be translated but also been reported to be translationally repressed. here we show that uis4 mrna translation is regulated by the p. berghei rna binding protein pumilio-2 (pbpuf2 or puf2 from here on forward) in infectious salivary gland sporozoit ... | 2016 | 26808677 |
| functional profiles of orphan membrane transporters in the life cycle of the malaria parasite. | assigning function to orphan membrane transport proteins and prioritizing candidates for detailed biochemical characterization remain fundamental challenges and are particularly important for medically relevant pathogens, such as malaria parasites. here we present a comprehensive genetic analysis of 35 orphan transport proteins of plasmodium berghei during its life cycle in mice and anopheles mosquitoes. six genes, including four candidate aminophospholipid transporters, are refractory to gene d ... | 2016 | 26796412 |
| a vacuolar iron-transporter homologue acts as a detoxifier in plasmodium. | iron is an essential micronutrient but is also highly toxic. in yeast and plant cells, a key detoxifying mechanism involves iron sequestration into intracellular storage compartments, mediated by members of the vacuolar iron-transporter (vit) family of proteins. here we study the vit homologue from the malaria parasites plasmodium falciparum (pfvit) and plasmodium berghei (pbvit). pfvit-mediated iron transport in a yeast heterologous expression system is saturable (km ∼ 14.7 μm), and selective f ... | 2016 | 26786069 |
| genetic control of malaria mosquitoes. | experiments demonstrating the feasibility of genetically modifying mosquito vectors to impair their ability to transmit the malaria parasite have been known for well over a decade. however, means to spread resistance or population control genes into wild mosquito populations remains an unsolved challenge. two recent reports give hope that crispr technology may allow such challenge to be overcome. | 2016 | 26809567 |
| dosage compensation in the african malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae. | dosage compensation is the fundamental process by which gene expression from the male monosomic x chromosome and from the diploid set of autosomes is equalized. various molecular mechanisms have evolved in different organisms to achieve this task. in drosophila, genes on the male x chromosome are upregulated to the levels of expression from the two x chromosomes in females. to test whether a similar mechanism is operating in immature stages of anopheles mosquitoes, we analyzed global gene expres ... | 2016 | 26782933 |
| high-throughput assay and discovery of small molecules that interrupt malaria transmission. | preventing transmission is an important element of malaria control. however, most of the current available methods to assay for malaria transmission blocking are relatively low throughput and cannot be applied to large chemical libraries. we have developed a high-throughput and cost-effective assay, the saponin-lysis sexual stage assay (salssa), for identifying small molecules with transmission-blocking capacity. salssa analysis of 13,983 unique compounds uncovered that >90% of well-characterize ... | 2015 | 26749441 |
| identification of the temperature induced larvicidal efficacy of agave angustifolia against aedes, culex, and anopheles larvae. | synthetic insecticides are generally employed to control the mosquito population. however, their injudicious over usage and non-biodegradability are associated with many adverse effects on the environment and mosquitoes. the application of environment-friendly mosquitocidals might be an alternate to overcome these issues. in this study, we found that organic or aqueous extracts of agave angustifolia leaves exhibited a strong larvicidal activity (ld50 28.27 μg/ml) against aedes aegypti, culex qui ... | 2016 | 26793700 |
| corrigendum: artemisinin-resistant plasmodium falciparum clinical isolates can infect diverse mosquito vectors of southeast asia and africa. | | 2016 | 26742574 |
| chemical composition and repellent activity of achillea vermiculata and satureja hortensis against anopheles stephensi. | one of the best ways to control the malaria disease and to be protected human against anopheles mosquito biting is the use of repellents. throughout repellents, herbal ones may be an appropriate and safe source for protection. | 2016 | 27308278 |
| neem oil increases the efficiency of the entomopathogenic fungus metarhizium anisopliae for the control of aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) larvae. | entomopathogenic fungi are potential candidates for use in integrated vector management and many isolates are compatible with synthetic and natural insecticides. neem oil was tested separately and in combination with the entomopathogenic fungus metarhizium anisopliae against larvae of the dengue vector aedes aegypti. our aim was to increase the effectiveness of the fungus for the control of larval mosquito populations. | 2015 | 26715150 |
| a semi-automated luminescence based standard membrane feeding assay identifies novel small molecules that inhibit transmission of malaria parasites by mosquitoes. | current first-line treatments for uncomplicated falciparum malaria rapidly clear the asexual stages of the parasite, but do not fully prevent parasite transmission by mosquitoes. the standard membrane feeding assay (smfa) is the biological gold standard assessment of transmission reducing activity (tra), but its throughput is limited by the need to determine mosquito infection status by dissection and microscopy. here we present a novel dissection-free luminescence based smfa format using a tran ... | 2015 | 26687564 |
| the tlr2 is activated by sporozoites and suppresses intrahepatic rodent malaria parasite development. | tlrs (toll-like receptors) play an important role in the initiation of innate immune responses against invading microorganisms. although several tlrs have been reported to be involved in the innate immune response against the blood-stage of malaria parasites, the role of tlrs in the development of the pre-erythrocytic stage is still largely unknown. here, we found that sporozoite and its lysate could significantly activate the tlr2, and induce macrophages to release proinflammatory cytokines, in ... | 2015 | 26667391 |
| optimizing intradermal administration of cryopreserved plasmodium falciparum sporozoites in controlled human malaria infection. | controlled human malaria infection (chmi) is a powerful tool to evaluate malaria vaccine and prophylactic drug efficacy. until recently chmi was only carried out by the bite of infected mosquitoes. a parenteral method of chmi would standardize plasmodium falciparum sporozoite (pfspz) administration, eliminate the need for expensive challenge facility infrastructure, and allow for use of many p. falciparum strains. recently, intradermal (id) injection of aseptic, purified, cryopreserved pfspz was ... | 2015 | 26416102 |
| isolation, n-glycosylations and function of a hyaluronidase-like enzyme from the venom of the spider cupiennius salei. | hyaluronidases are important venom components acting as spreading factor of toxic compounds. in several studies this spreading effect was tested on vertebrate tissue. however, data about the spreading activity on invertebrates, the main prey organisms of spiders, are lacking. here, a hyaluronidase-like enzyme was isolated from the venom of the spider cupiennius salei. the amino acid sequence of the enzyme was determined by cdna analysis of the venom gland transcriptome and confirmed by protein a ... | 2015 | 26630650 |
| "salivary gland cellular architecture in the asian malaria vector mosquito anopheles stephensi". | anopheles mosquitoes are vectors for malaria, a disease with continued grave outcomes for human health. transmission of malaria from mosquitoes to humans occurs by parasite passage through the salivary glands (sgs). previous studies of mosquito sg architecture have been limited in scope and detail. | 2015 | 26627194 |
| adulticidal & larvicidal efficacy of three neonicotinoids against insecticide susceptible & resistant mosquito strains. | due to ever growing insecticide resistance in mosquitoes to commonly used insecticides in many parts of the globe, there is always a need for introduction of new insecticides for the control of resistant vector mosquitoes. in this study, larvicidal and adulticidal efficacies of three neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam) were tested against resistant and susceptible populations of anopheles stephensi liston 1901, aedes (stegomyia) aegypti linnaeus, and culex quinquefasciatu ... | 0 | 26905244 |
| progress with plasmodium falciparum sporozoite (pfspz)-based malaria vaccines. | sanaria inc. has developed methods to manufacture, purify and cryopreserve aseptic plasmodium falciparum (pf) sporozoites (spz), and is using this platform technology to develop an injectable pfspz-based vaccine that provides high-grade, durable protection against infection with pf malaria. several candidate vaccines are being developed and tested, including pfspz vaccine, in which the pfspz are attenuated by irradiation, pfspz-cvac, in which fully infectious pfspz are attenuated in vivo by conc ... | 2015 | 26469720 |
| increased production of pirnas from euchromatic clusters and genes in anopheles gambiae compared with drosophila melanogaster. | specific genomic loci, termed piwi-interacting rna (pirna) clusters, manufacture pirnas that serve as guides for the inactivation of complementary transposable elements (tes). the pirna pathway has been accurately detailed in drosophila melanogaster, while it remains poorly examined in other insects. this pathway is increasingly recognized as critical for germline development and reproduction. understanding of the pirna functions in mosquitoes could offer an opportunity for disease vector contro ... | 2015 | 26617674 |
| highly efficient cas9-mediated gene drive for population modification of the malaria vector mosquito anopheles stephensi. | genetic engineering technologies can be used both to create transgenic mosquitoes carrying antipathogen effector genes targeting human malaria parasites and to generate gene-drive systems capable of introgressing the genes throughout wild vector populations. we developed a highly effective autonomous clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (crispr)-associated protein 9 (cas9)-mediated gene-drive system in the asian malaria vector anopheles stephensi, adapted from the mutagenic ... | 2015 | 26598698 |
| plasmodium evasion of mosquito immunity and global malaria transmission: the lock-and-key theory. | plasmodium falciparum malaria originated in africa and became global as humans migrated to other continents. during this journey, parasites encountered new mosquito species, some of them evolutionarily distant from african vectors. we have previously shown that the pfs47 protein allows the parasite to evade the mosquito immune system of anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. here, we investigated the role of pfs47-mediated immune evasion in the adaptation of p. falciparum to evolutionarily distant mosqui ... | 2015 | 26598665 |
| zinc finger nuclease-based double-strand breaks attenuate malaria parasites and reveal rare microhomology-mediated end joining. | genome editing of malaria parasites is key to the generation of live attenuated parasites used in experimental vaccination approaches. dna repair in plasmodium generally occurs only through homologous recombination. this has been used to generate transgenic parasites that lack one to three genes, leading to developmental arrest in the liver and allowing the host to launch a protective immune response. while effective in principle, this approach is not safe for use in humans as single surviving p ... | 2015 | 26573820 |
| a comparison of plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein-based slot blot and elisa immuno-assays for oocyst detection in mosquito homogenates. | the infectivity of plasmodium gametocytes is typically determined by microscopically examining the midguts of mosquitoes that have taken a blood meal containing potentially infectious parasites. such assessments are required for the development and evaluation of transmission-reducing interventions (tri), but are limited by subjectivity, technical complexity and throughput. the detection of circumsporozoite protein (csp) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and enhanced chemiluminescent s ... | 2015 | 26573271 |
| plasmodium p-type cyclin cyc3 modulates endomitotic growth during oocyst development in mosquitoes. | cell-cycle progression and cell division in eukaryotes are governed in part by the cyclin family and their regulation of cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks). cyclins are very well characterised in model systems such as yeast and human cells, but surprisingly little is known about their number and role in plasmodium, the unicellular protozoan parasite that causes malaria. malaria parasite cell division and proliferation differs from that of many eukaryotes. during its life cycle it undergoes two type ... | 2015 | 26565797 |
| a simple and predictive phenotypic high content imaging assay for plasmodium falciparum mature gametocytes to identify malaria transmission blocking compounds. | plasmodium falciparum gametocytes, specifically the mature stages, are the only malaria parasite stage in humans transmissible to the mosquito vector. anti-malarial drugs capable of killing these forms are considered essential for the eradication of malaria and tools allowing the screening of large compound libraries with high predictive power are needed to identify new candidates. as gametocytes are not a replicative stage it is difficult to apply the same drug screening methods used for asexua ... | 2015 | 26553647 |
| asparagine requirement in plasmodium berghei as a target to prevent malaria transmission and liver infections. | the proteins of plasmodium, the malaria parasite, are strikingly rich in asparagine. plasmodium depends primarily on host haemoglobin degradation for amino acids and has a rudimentary pathway for amino acid biosynthesis, but retains a gene encoding asparagine synthetase (as). here we show that deletion of as in plasmodium berghei (pb) delays the asexual- and liver-stage development with substantial reduction in the formation of ookinetes, oocysts and sporozoites in mosquitoes. in the absence of ... | 2015 | 26531182 |
| the plasmodium palmitoyl-s-acyl-transferase dhhc2 is essential for ookinete morphogenesis and malaria transmission. | the post-translational addition of c-16 long chain fatty acids to protein cysteine residues is catalysed by palmitoyl-s-acyl-transferases (pat) and affects the affinity of a modified protein for membranes and therefore its subcellular localisation. in apicomplexan parasites this reversible protein modification regulates numerous biological processes and specifically affects cell motility, and invasion of host cells by plasmodium falciparum merozoites and toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites. using inhi ... | 2015 | 26526684 |