malaria
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyProtein Kinase A Is Essential for Invasion of Plasmodium falciparum into Human ErythrocytesMalaria continues to present a major global health burden, particularly in low-resource countries. Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria, causes disease through rapid and repeated rounds of invasion and replication within red blood cells. Invasion into red blood cells is essential for...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAntibodies to Cryptic Epitopes in Distant Homologues Underpin a Mechanism of Heterologous Immunity between Plasmodium vivax PvDBP and Plasmodium falciparum VAR2CSAIn this work, we describe a molecular mechanism of heterologous immunity between two distant species of Plasmodium. Our results suggest a mechanism that subverts the classic parasite strategy of presenting highly polymorphic epitopes in surface antigens to evade immunity to that parasite. This alternative immune pathway can be exploited to protect pregnant women from falciparum placental malaria by designing vaccines to cryptic...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Tool for the Generation of Conditional Knockouts To Study Gene Function across the Plasmodium falciparum Life CycleOne of the major limitations in studying P. falciparum is that so far only asexual stages are amenable to rapid conditional genetic modification. The most promising drug targets and vaccine candidates, however, have been refractory to genetic modification because they are essential during the blood stage or for transmission in the mosquito vector. This leaves a major...
Letter to the Editor | Host-Microbe BiologyFurther Mechanisms and Locations in Which Antisporozoite Antibodies Neutralize Malaria Sporozoites
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAnopheles Salivary Gland Architecture Shapes Plasmodium Sporozoite Availability for TransmissionMalaria continues to have a devastating impact on human health. With growing resistance to insecticides and antimalarial drugs, as well as climate change predictions indicating expansion of vector territories, the impact of malaria is likely to increase. Additional insights regarding pathogen migration through vector mosquitoes are needed to develop novel methods to prevent transmission to new hosts. Pathogens, including the microbes...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDissecting the Gene Expression, Localization, Membrane Topology, and Function of the Plasmodium falciparum STEVOR Protein FamilyMalaria claims about half a million lives each year. Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the most severe form of the disease, uses proteins that are translocated to the surface of infected erythrocytes for immune evasion. To circumvent the detection of these gene products by the immune system, the parasite evolved a complex strategy that includes gene...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDeletion of Plasmodium falciparum Protein RON3 Affects the Functional Translocation of Exported Proteins and Glucose UptakeThe malarial parasite within the erythrocyte is surrounded by two membranes. Plasmodium translocon of exported proteins (PTEX) in the parasite vacuolar membrane critically transports proteins from the parasite to the erythrocytic cytosol and membrane to create protein infrastructure important for virulence. The components of PTEX are stored within the dense granule, which is secreted from the parasite during invasion. We now...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyIs Anopheles gambiae a Natural Host of Wolbachia?Anopheles gambiae mosquitos are the main vectors of malaria, threatening around half of the world’s population. The bacterial symbiont Wolbachia can interfere with disease transmission by other important insect vectors, but until recently, it was thought to be absent from natural A. gambiae populations. Here, we critically analyze the genomic,...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceGlobal Spread of Mutant PfCRT and Its Pleiotropic Impact on Plasmodium falciparum Multidrug Resistance and FitnessOur study defines the allelic distribution of pfcrt, an important mediator of multidrug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, in Africa and Asia. We leveraged whole-genome sequence analysis and gene editing to demonstrate how current drug combinations can select different allelic variants of this gene and shape region-specific parasite population structures....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMeta-analysis of Plasmodium falciparum var Signatures Contributing to Severe Malaria in African Children and Indian AdultsP. falciparum malaria can cause multiple disease complications that differ by patient age. Previous studies have attempted to address the roles of parasite adhesion and biomass in disease severity; however, these studies have been limited to single geographical sites, and there is limited understanding of how parasite adhesion and biomass interact to influence disease...