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Ferraboli JW, Soares da Veiga GT, Albrecht L. Plasmodium vivax transcriptomics: What is new? Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2023; 248:1645-1656. [PMID: 37786955 PMCID: PMC10723030 DOI: 10.1177/15353702231198070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is the leading human parasitosis and is transmitted through the bite of anopheline mosquitoes infected with parasites of the genus Plasmodium spp. Among the seven species that cause malaria in humans, Plasmodium vivax is the most prevalent species in Latin America. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of reports of clinical complications caused by P. vivax infections, which were previously neglected and underestimated. P. vivax biology remains with large gaps. The emergence of next-generation sequencing technology has ensured a breakthrough in species knowledge. Coupled with this, the deposition of the P. vivax Sal-1 reference genome allowed an increase in transcriptomics projects by accessing messenger RNA. Thus, the regulation of differential gene expression according to the parasite life stage was verified, and several expressed genes were linked to different biological functions. Today, with the progress associated with RNA sequencing technologies, it is possible to detect nuances and obtain robust results. Discoveries provided by transcriptomic studies allow us to understand topics such as RNA expression and regulation and proteins and metabolic pathways involved during different stages of the parasite life cycle. The information obtained enables a better comprehension of immune system evasion mechanisms; invasion and adhesion strategies used by the parasite; as well as new vaccine targets, potential molecular markers, and others therapeutic targets. In this review, we provide new insights into P. vivax biology by summarizing recent findings in transcriptomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Weber Ferraboli
- Laboratory of Apicomplexan Parasites Research, Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Curitiba 81310-020, Brazil
| | - Gisele Tatiane Soares da Veiga
- Laboratory of Apicomplexan Parasites Research, Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Curitiba 81310-020, Brazil
| | - Letusa Albrecht
- Laboratory of Apicomplexan Parasites Research, Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Curitiba 81310-020, Brazil
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2
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A member of the tryptophan-rich protein family is required for efficient sequestration of Plasmodium berghei schizonts. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010846. [PMID: 36126089 PMCID: PMC9524624 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein export and host membrane remodeling are crucial for multiple Plasmodium species to establish a niche in infected hosts. To better understand the contribution of these processes to successful parasite infection in vivo, we sought to find and characterize protein components of the intraerythrocytic Plasmodium berghei-induced membrane structures (IBIS) that form in the cytoplasm of infected erythrocytes. We identified proteins that immunoprecipitate with IBIS1, a signature member of the IBIS in P. berghei-infected erythrocytes. In parallel, we also report our data describing proteins that co-precipitate with the PTEX (Plasmodium translocon of exported proteins) component EXP2. To validate our findings, we examined the location of three candidate IBIS1-interactors that are conserved across multiple Plasmodium species, and we found they localized to IBIS in infected red blood cells and two further colocalized with IBIS1 in the liver-stage parasitophorous vacuole membrane. Successful gene deletion revealed that these two tryptophan-rich domain-containing proteins, termed here IPIS2 and IPIS3 (for intraerythrocytic Plasmodium-induced membrane structures), are required for efficient blood-stage growth. Erythrocytes infected with IPIS2-deficient schizonts in particular fail to bind CD36 as efficiently as wild-type P. berghei-infected cells and therefore fail to effectively sequester out of the circulating blood. Our findings support the idea that intra-erythrocytic membrane compartments are required across species for alterations of the host erythrocyte that facilitate interactions of infected cells with host tissues.
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Rehn T, Lubiana P, Nguyen THT, Pansegrau E, Schmitt M, Roth LK, Brehmer J, Roeder T, Cadar D, Metwally NG, Bruchhaus I. Ectopic Expression of Plasmodium vivax vir Genes in P. falciparum Affects Cytoadhesion via Increased Expression of Specific var Genes. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10061183. [PMID: 35744701 PMCID: PMC9230084 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10061183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (PfIEs) adhere to endothelial cell receptors (ECRs) of blood vessels mainly via PfEMP1 proteins to escape elimination via the spleen. Evidence suggests that P. vivax-infected reticulocytes (PvIRs) also bind to ECRs, presumably enabled by VIR proteins, as shown by inhibition experiments and studies with transgenic P. falciparum expressing vir genes. To test this hypothesis, our study investigated the involvement of VIR proteins in cytoadhesion using vir gene-expressing P. falciparum transfectants. Those VIR proteins with a putative transmembrane domain were present in Maurer's clefts, and some were also present in the erythrocyte membrane. The VIR protein without a transmembrane domain (PVX_050690) was not exported. Five of the transgenic P. falciparum cell lines, including the one expressing PVX_050690, showed binding to CD36. We observed highly increased expression of specific var genes encoding PfEMP1s in all CD36-binding transfectants. These results suggest that ectopic vir expression regulates var expression through a yet unknown mechanism. In conclusion, the observed cytoadhesion of P. falciparum expressing vir genes depended on PfEMP1s, making this experimental unsuitable for characterizing VIR proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torben Rehn
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Pedro Lubiana
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Thi Huyen Trang Nguyen
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Eva Pansegrau
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Marius Schmitt
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Lisa Katharina Roth
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Jana Brehmer
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Thomas Roeder
- Molecular Physiology Department, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany;
- Airway Research Center North (ARCN), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Dániel Cadar
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Nahla Galal Metwally
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Iris Bruchhaus
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (T.R.); (P.L.); (T.H.T.N.); (E.P.); (M.S.); (L.K.R.); (J.B.); (D.C.); (N.G.M.)
- Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, 22601 Hamburg, Germany
- Correspondence:
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Goo YK. Vivax Malaria and the Potential Role of the Subtelomeric Multigene vir Superfamily. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10061083. [PMID: 35744600 PMCID: PMC9228997 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10061083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Vivax malaria, caused by Plasmodium vivax, remains a public health concern in Central and Southeast Asia and South America, with more than two billion people at risk of infection. Compared to Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax is considered a benign infection. However, in recent decades, incidences of severe vivax malaria have been confirmed. The P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 family encoded by var genes is known as a mediator of severe falciparum malaria by cytoadherence property. Correspondingly, the vir multigene superfamily has been identified as the largest multigene family in P. vivax and is implicated in cytoadherence to endothelial cells and immune response activation. In this review, the functions of vir genes are reviewed in the context of their potential roles in severe vivax malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youn-Kyoung Goo
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
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5
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Minassian AM, Themistocleous Y, Silk SE, Barrett JR, Kemp A, Quinkert D, Nielsen CM, Edwards NJ, Rawlinson TA, Ramos Lopez F, Roobsoong W, Ellis KJ, Cho JS, Aunin E, Otto TD, Reid AJ, Bach FA, Labbé GM, Poulton ID, Marini A, Zaric M, Mulatier M, Lopez Ramon R, Baker M, Mitton CH, Sousa JC, Rachaphaew N, Kumpitak C, Maneechai N, Suansomjit C, Piteekan T, Hou MM, Khozoee B, McHugh K, Roberts DJ, Lawrie AM, Blagborough AM, Nugent FL, Taylor IJ, Johnson KJ, Spence PJ, Sattabongkot J, Biswas S, Rayner JC, Draper SJ. Controlled human malaria infection with a clone of Plasmodium vivax with high quality genome assembly. JCI Insight 2021; 6:152465. [PMID: 34609964 PMCID: PMC8675201 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.152465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) provides a highly informative means to investigate host-pathogen interactions and enable in vivo proof-of-concept efficacy testing of new drugs and vaccines. However, unlike Plasmodium falciparum, well-characterized P. vivax parasites that are safe and suitable for use in modern CHMI models are limited. Here, two healthy malaria-naïve UK adults with universal donor blood group were safely infected with a clone of P. vivax from Thailand by mosquito-bite CHMI. Parasitemia developed in both volunteers and, prior to treatment, each volunteer donated blood to produce a cryopreserved stabilate of infected red blood cells. Following stringent safety screening, the parasite stabilate from one of these donors ("PvW1") was thawed and used to inoculate six healthy malaria-naïve UK adults by blood-stage CHMI, at three different dilutions. Parasitemia developed in all volunteers, who were then successfully drug treated. PvW1 parasite DNA was isolated and sequenced to produce a high quality genome assembly by using a hybrid assembly method. We analysed leading vaccine candidate antigens and multigene families, including the Vivax interspersed repeat (VIR) genes of which we identified 1145 in the PvW1 genome. Our genomic analysis will guide future assessment of candidate vaccines and drugs, as well as experimental medicine studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sarah E Silk
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jordan R Barrett
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Alison Kemp
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Doris Quinkert
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nick J Edwards
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - Jee-Sun Cho
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Eerik Aunin
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas D Otto
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Adam J Reid
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Florian A Bach
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ian D Poulton
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Arianna Marini
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Marija Zaric
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Margaux Mulatier
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Megan Baker
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Celia H Mitton
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jason C Sousa
- Experimental Therapeutics Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Maryland, United States of America
| | | | | | | | | | - Tianrat Piteekan
- Mahidol Vivax Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mimi M Hou
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Baktash Khozoee
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kirsty McHugh
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David J Roberts
- Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Alison M Lawrie
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Fay L Nugent
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Iona J Taylor
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Philip J Spence
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sumi Biswas
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Julian C Rayner
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Simon J Draper
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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6
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Lee S, Choi YK, Goo YK. Humoral and cellular immune response to Plasmodium vivax VIR recombinant and synthetic antigens in individuals naturally exposed to P. vivax in the Republic of Korea. Malar J 2021; 20:288. [PMID: 34183015 PMCID: PMC8237554 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03810-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax proteins with variant interspersed repeats (VIR) are the key proteins used by the parasite to escape from the host immune system through the creation of antigenic variations. However, few studies have been done to elucidate their role as targets of immunity. Thus, this study evaluated the naturally-acquired immune response against VIR proteins in vivax malaria-infected individuals in the Republic of Korea (ROK). METHODS Seven recombinant VIR proteins and two synthetic peptides previously studied in other countries that elicited a robust immune response were used to investigate the antibody and cellular immune response in 681 P. vivax-infected people in ROK. The expression of IgM, IgG, and IgG subclasses against each VIR antigen or against PvMSP1-19 was analysed by ELISA. PvMSP1-19, known as a promising vaccine candidate of P. vivax, was used as the positive control for immune response assessment. Furthermore, the cellular immune response to VIR antigens was evaluated by in vitro proliferative assay, cellular activation assay, and cytokine detection in mononuclear cells of the P. vivax-infected population. RESULTS IgM or IgG were detected in 52.4% of the population. Among all the VIR antigens, VIR25 elicited the highest humoral immune response in the whole population with IgG and IgM prevalence of 27.8% and 29.2%, respectively, while PvMSP1-19 elicited even higher prevalence (92%) of IgG in the population. As for the cellular immune response, VIR-C2, PvLP2, and PvMSP1-19 induced high cell activation and secretion of IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and G-CSF in mononuclear cells from the P. vivax-infected population, comparable with results from PvMSP1-19. However, no significant proliferation response to these antigens was observed between the malaria-infected and healthy groups. CONCLUSION Moderate natural acquisition of antibody and cellular responses in P. vivax-infected Korean malaria patients presented here are similar to that in other countries. It is interesting that the immune response to VIR antigens is conserved among malaria parasites in different countries, considering that VIR genes are highly polymorphic. This thus warrants further studies to elucidate molecular mechanisms by which human elicit immune response to the malaria parasite VIR antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghyun Lee
- Division of Bio Bigdata, Department of Precision Medicine, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28159, Republic of Korea.,Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 28644, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Ki Choi
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 28644, Republic of Korea.
| | - Youn-Kyoung Goo
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea.
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7
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Schappo AP, Bittencourt NC, Bertolla LP, Forcellini S, da Silva ABIE, dos Santos HG, Gervásio JH, Lacerda MVG, Lopes SCP, Costa FTM, Albrecht L. Antigenicity and adhesiveness of a Plasmodium vivax VIR-E protein from Brazilian isolates. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2021; 116:e210227. [PMID: 35137905 PMCID: PMC8824159 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760210227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax, the major cause of malaria in Latin America, has a large subtelomeric multigene family called vir. In the P. vivax genome, about 20% of its sequences are vir genes. Vir antigens are grouped in subfamilies according to their sequence similarities and have been shown to have distinct roles and subcellular locations. However, little is known about vir subfamilies, especially when comes to their functions. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diversity, antigenicity, and adhesiveness of Plasmodium vivax VIR-E. METHODS Vir-E genes were amplified from six P. vivax isolates from Manaus, North of Brazil. The presence of naturally acquired antibodies to recombinant PvBrVIR-E and PvAMA-1 was evaluated by ELISA. Binding capacity of recombinant PvBrVIR-E was assessed by adhesion assay to CHO-ICAM1 cells. FINDINGS Despite vir-E sequence diversity, among those identified sequences, a representative one was chosen to be expressed as recombinant protein. The presence of IgM or IgG antibodies to PvBrVIR-E was detected in 23.75% of the study population while the presence of IgG antibodies to PvAMA-1 antigen was 66.25% in the same population. PvBrVIR-E was adhesive to CHO-ICAM1. MAIN CONCLUSIONS PvBrVIR-E was antigenic and adhesive to CHO-ICAM1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Marcus VG Lacerda
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Brazil; Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr Heitor Vieira Dourado, Brazil
| | | | | | - Letusa Albrecht
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Brazil; Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil
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8
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Na BK, Kim TS, Lin K, Baek MC, Chung DI, Hong Y, Goo YK. Genetic polymorphism of vir genes of Plasmodium vivax in Myanmar. Parasitol Int 2020; 80:102233. [PMID: 33144194 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2020.102233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The Plasmodium vivax variant proteins encoded by vir genes are highly polymorphic antigens and are considered as one of key proteins of P. vivax for host immune evasion via antigenic variations. Because genetic diversity of these antigens is a critical hurdle in the development of an effective vaccine, understanding the genetic nature of the vir genes in natural population is important. In this study, we selected four vir genes (vir 4, vir 12, vir 21, and vir 27) previously used for genetic analysis in several studies and evaluated the genetic polymorphisms and phylogenetic relationship of these 4 vir genes in Myanmar P. vivax population. Taken all genetic diversity values, the vir 12 (S = 168, H = 17, Hd = 0.854, Tajima's D value = 2.91524) was the most genetically diverse gene and the vir 4 (S = 9, H = 4, Hd = 0.744, Tajima's D value = -0.49151) was the most conserved gene. All phylogenetic trees showed two clades, and vir 4 and 12 haplotypes from Myanmar were clustered in a distinct clade with those from India and Republic of Korea. These results confirmed the pattern of high genetic polymorphism of vir genes and provided information on vir gene for further functional research and studies focused toward the practical use of vir genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byoung-Kuk Na
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju 52727, Republic of Korea
| | - Tong-Soo Kim
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Inha Research Institute for Medical Sciences, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Khin Lin
- Department of Medical Research Pyin Oo Lwin Branch, Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar
| | - Moon-Chang Baek
- Department of Molecular Medicine, CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Il Chung
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeonchul Hong
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Youn-Kyoung Goo
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea.
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9
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Brashear AM, Huckaby AC, Fan Q, Dillard LJ, Hu Y, Li Y, Zhao Y, Wang Z, Cao Y, Miao J, Guler JL, Cui L. New Plasmodium vivax Genomes From the China-Myanmar Border. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1930. [PMID: 32849480 PMCID: PMC7432439 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is increasingly the dominant species of malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), which is pursuing regional malaria elimination. P. vivax lineages in the GMS are poorly characterized. Currently, P. vivax reference genomes are scarce due to difficulties in culturing the parasite and lack of high-quality samples. In addition, P. vivax is incredibly diverse, necessitating the procurement of reference genomes from different geographical regions. Here we present four new P. vivax draft genomes assembled de novo from clinical samples collected in the China-Myanmar border area. We demonstrate comparable length and content to existing genomes, with the majority of structural variation occurring around subtelomeric regions and exported proteins, which we corroborated with detection of copy number variations in these regions. We predicted peptides from all PIR gene subfamilies, except for PIR D. We confirmed that proteins classically labeled as PIR D family members are not identifiable by PIR motifs, and actually bear stronger resemblance to DUF (domain of unknown function) family DUF3671, potentially pointing to a new, closely related gene family. Further, phylogenetic analyses of MSP7 genes showed high variability within the MSP7-B family compared to MSP7-A and -C families, and the result was comparable to that from whole genome analyses. The new genome assemblies serve as a resource for studying P. vivax within the GMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Awtum M. Brashear
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Adam C. Huckaby
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Qi Fan
- Dalian Institute of Science and Technology, Dalian, China
| | - Luke J. Dillard
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Yubing Hu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yuling Li
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yan Zhao
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Zenglei Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yaming Cao
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Jun Miao
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Jennifer L. Guler
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Tampa, FL, United States
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Gruenberg M, Moniz CA, Hofmann NE, Wampfler R, Koepfli C, Mueller I, Monteiro WM, Lacerda M, de Melo GC, Kuehn A, Siqueira AM, Felger I. Plasmodium vivax molecular diagnostics in community surveys: pitfalls and solutions. Malar J 2018; 17:55. [PMID: 29378609 PMCID: PMC5789620 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-018-2201-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
A distinctive feature of Plasmodium vivax infections is the overall low parasite density in peripheral blood. Thus, identifying asymptomatic infected individuals in endemic communities requires diagnostic tests with high sensitivity. The detection limits of molecular diagnostic tests are primarily defined by the volume of blood analysed and by the copy number of the amplified molecular marker serving as the template for amplification. By using mitochondrial DNA as the multi-copy template, the detection limit can be improved more than tenfold, compared to standard 18S rRNA targets, thereby allowing detection of lower parasite densities. In a very low transmission area in Brazil, application of a mitochondrial DNA-based assay increased prevalence from 4.9 to 6.5%. The usefulness of molecular tests in malaria epidemiological studies is widely recognized, especially when precise prevalence rates are desired. Of concern, however, is the challenge of demonstrating test accuracy and quality control for samples with very low parasite densities. In this case, chance effects in template distribution around the detection limit constrain reproducibility. Rigorous assessment of false positive and false negative test results is, therefore, required to prevent over- or under-estimation of parasite prevalence in epidemiological studies or when monitoring interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gruenberg
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Clara Antunes Moniz
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Natalie Ellen Hofmann
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rahel Wampfler
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cristian Koepfli
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Marcus Lacerda
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, Brazil.,Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Gisely Cardoso de Melo
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, Brazil.,Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Andrea Kuehn
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, Brazil
| | - Andre M Siqueira
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Infectologia, Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Felger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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11
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Totino PR, Lopes SC. Insights into the Cytoadherence Phenomenon of Plasmodium vivax: The Putative Role of Phosphatidylserine. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1148. [PMID: 28979260 PMCID: PMC5611623 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is the most geographically widespread and the dominant human malaria parasite in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa and, although it was classically recognized to cause benign infection, severe cases and deaths caused by P. vivax have remarkably been reported. In contrast to Plasmodium falciparum, which well-known ability to bind to endothelium and placental tissue and form rosettes is related to severity of the disease, it has been a dogma that P. vivax is unable to undergo cytoadherent phenomena. However, some studies have demonstrated that red blood cells (RBCs) infected by P. vivax can cytoadhere to host cells, while the molecules participating in this host–parasite interaction are still a matter of speculation. In the present overview, we address the evidences currently supporting the adhesive profile of P. vivax and, additionally, discuss the putative role of phosphatidylserine—a cell membrane phospholipid with cytoadhesive properties that has been detected on the surface of Plasmodium-parasitized RBCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Renato Totino
- Laboratory of Malaria Research, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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12
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Anderson DC, Lapp SA, Barnwell JW, Galinski MR. A large scale Plasmodium vivax- Saimiri boliviensis trophozoite-schizont transition proteome. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0182561. [PMID: 28829774 PMCID: PMC5567661 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is a complex protozoan parasite with over 6,500 genes and stage-specific differential expression. Much of the unique biology of this pathogen remains unknown, including how it modifies and restructures the host reticulocyte. Using a recently published P. vivax reference genome, we report the proteome from two biological replicates of infected Saimiri boliviensis host reticulocytes undergoing transition from the late trophozoite to early schizont stages. Using five database search engines, we identified a total of 2000 P. vivax and 3487 S. boliviensis proteins, making this the most comprehensive P. vivax proteome to date. PlasmoDB GO-term enrichment analysis of proteins identified at least twice by a search engine highlighted core metabolic processes and molecular functions such as glycolysis, translation and protein folding, cell components such as ribosomes, proteasomes and the Golgi apparatus, and a number of vesicle and trafficking related clusters. Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) v6.8 enriched functional annotation clusters of S. boliviensis proteins highlighted vesicle and trafficking-related clusters, elements of the cytoskeleton, oxidative processes and response to oxidative stress, macromolecular complexes such as the proteasome and ribosome, metabolism, translation, and cell death. Host and parasite proteins potentially involved in cell adhesion were also identified. Over 25% of the P. vivax proteins have no functional annotation; this group includes 45 VIR members of the large PIR family. A number of host and pathogen proteins contained highly oxidized or nitrated residues, extending prior trophozoite-enriched stage observations from S. boliviensis infections, and supporting the possibility of oxidative stress in relation to the disease. This proteome significantly expands the size and complexity of the known P. vivax and Saimiri host iRBC proteomes, and provides in-depth data that will be valuable for ongoing research on this parasite’s biology and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. C. Anderson
- Bioscience Division, SRI International, Harrisonburg, VA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Stacey A. Lapp
- Emory Vaccine Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - John W. Barnwell
- Malaria Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Mary R. Galinski
- Emory Vaccine Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
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13
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Pasini EM, Böhme U, Rutledge GG, Voorberg-Van der Wel A, Sanders M, Berriman M, Kocken CH, Otto TD. An improved Plasmodium cynomolgi genome assembly reveals an unexpected methyltransferase gene expansion. Wellcome Open Res 2017; 2:42. [PMID: 28748222 PMCID: PMC5500898 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.11864.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background:
Plasmodium cynomolgi, a non-human primate malaria parasite species, has been an important model parasite since its discovery in 1907. Similarities in the biology of
P. cynomolgi to the closely related, but less tractable, human malaria parasite
P. vivax make it the model parasite of choice for liver biology and vaccine studies pertinent to
P. vivax malaria. Molecular and genome-scale studies of
P. cynomolgi have relied on the current reference genome sequence, which remains highly fragmented with 1,649 unassigned scaffolds and little representation of the subtelomeres. Methods: Using long-read sequence data (Pacific Biosciences SMRT technology), we assembled and annotated a new reference genome sequence, PcyM, sourced from an Indian rhesus monkey. We compare the newly assembled genome sequence with those of several other
Plasmodium species, including a re-annotated
P. coatneyi assembly. Results: The new PcyM genome assembly is of significantly higher quality than the existing reference, comprising only 56 pieces, no gaps and an improved average gene length. Detailed manual curation has ensured a comprehensive annotation of the genome with 6,632 genes, nearly 1,000 more than previously attributed to
P. cynomolgi. The new assembly also has an improved representation of the subtelomeric regions, which account for nearly 40% of the sequence. Within the subtelomeres, we identified more than 1300
Plasmodium interspersed repeat (
pir) genes, as well as a striking expansion of 36 methyltransferase pseudogenes that originated from a single copy on chromosome 9. Conclusions: The manually curated PcyM reference genome sequence is an important new resource for the malaria research community. The high quality and contiguity of the data have enabled the discovery of a novel expansion of methyltransferase in the subtelomeres, and illustrates the new comparative genomics capabilities that are being unlocked by complete reference genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica M Pasini
- Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, Lange Kleiweg 161, 2288GJ Rijswijk, Netherlands
| | - Ulrike Böhme
- The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Gavin G Rutledge
- The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | | | - Mandy Sanders
- The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Matt Berriman
- The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Clemens Hm Kocken
- Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, Lange Kleiweg 161, 2288GJ Rijswijk, Netherlands
| | - Thomas Dan Otto
- The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
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14
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Son UH, Dinzouna-Boutamba SD, Lee S, Yun HS, Kim JY, Joo SY, Jeong S, Rhee MH, Hong Y, Chung DI, Kwak D, Goo YK. Diversity of vir Genes in Plasmodium vivax from Endemic Regions in the Republic of Korea: an Initial Evaluation. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2017; 55:149-158. [PMID: 28506037 PMCID: PMC5452439 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2017.55.2.149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2016] [Revised: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Variant surface antigens (VSAs) encoded by pir families are considered to be the key proteins used by many Plasmodium spp. to escape the host immune system by antigenic variation. This attribute of VSAs is a critical issue in the development of a novel vaccine. In this regard, a population genetic study of vir genes from Plasmodium vivax was performed in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Eighty-five venous blood samples and 4 of the vir genes, namely vir 27, vir 21, vir 12, and vir 4, were selected for study. The number of segregating sites (S), number of haplotypes (H), haplotype diversity (Hd), DNA diversity (π and Θw), and Tajima’s D test value were conducted. Phylogenetic trees of each gene were constructed. The vir 21 (S=143, H=22, Hd=0.827) was the most genetically diverse gene, and the vir 4 (S=6, H=4, Hd=0.556) was the opposite one. Tajima’s D values for vir 27 (1.08530, P>0.1), vir 12 (2.89007, P<0.01), and vir 21 (0.40782, P>0.1) were positive, and that of vir 4 (−1.32162, P>0.1) was negative. All phylogenetic trees showed 2 clades with no particular branching according to the geographical differences and cluster. This study is the first survey on the vir genes in ROK, providing information on the genetic level. The sample sequences from vir 4 showed a clear difference to the Sal-1 reference gene sequence, whereas they were very similar to those from Indian isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ui-Han Son
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 41944, Korea.,Laboratory of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
| | | | - Sanghyun Lee
- Pathogen Resource TF, Center for Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea CDC, Chungbuk 28159, Korea
| | - Hae Soo Yun
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Jung-Yeon Kim
- Division of Malaria and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Health, Korea CDC, Chungbuk 28159, Korea
| | - So-Young Joo
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Sookwan Jeong
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Man Hee Rhee
- Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology & Cell Signaling, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
| | - Yeonchul Hong
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Dong-Il Chung
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Dongmi Kwak
- Laboratory of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
| | - Youn-Kyoung Goo
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 41944, Korea
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15
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Chen SB, Wang Y, Kassegne K, Xu B, Shen HM, Chen JH. Whole-genome sequencing of a Plasmodium vivax clinical isolate exhibits geographical characteristics and high genetic variation in China-Myanmar border area. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:131. [PMID: 28166727 PMCID: PMC5294834 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3523-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Currently in China, the trend of Plasmodium vivax cases imported from Southeast Asia was increased especially in the China-Myanmar border area. Driven by the increase in P. vivax cases and stronger need for vaccine and drug development, several P. vivax isolates genome sequencing projects are underway. However, little is known about the genetic variability in this area until now. Results The sequencing of the first P. vivax isolate from China-Myanmar border area (CMB-1) generated 120 million paired-end reads. A percentage of 10.6 of the quality-evaluated reads were aligned onto 99.9% of the reference strain Sal I genome in 62-fold coverage with an average of 4.8 SNPs per kb. We present a 539-SNP marker data set for P. vivax that can identify different parasites from different geographic origins with high sensitivity. We also identified exceptionally high levels of genetic variability in members of multigene families such as RBP, SERA, vir, MSP3 and AP2. The de-novo assembly yielded a database composed of 8,409 contigs with N50 lengths of 6.6 kb and revealed 661 novel predicted genes including 78 vir genes, suggesting a greater functional variation in P. vivax from this area. Conclusion Our result contributes to a better understanding of P. vivax genetic variation, and provides a fundamental basis for the geographic differentiation of vivax malaria from China-Myanmar border area using a direct sequencing approach without leukocyte depletion. This novel sequencing method can be used as an essential tool for the genomic research of P. vivax in the near future. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3523-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shen-Bo Chen
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Wang
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, 310013, People's Republic of China
| | - Kokouvi Kassegne
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Xu
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Hai-Mo Shen
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jun-Hu Chen
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology Ministry of Health, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.
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16
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Boopathi PA, Subudhi AK, Middha S, Acharya J, Mugasimangalam RC, Kochar SK, Kochar DK, Das A. Design, construction and validation of a Plasmodium vivax microarray for the transcriptome profiling of clinical isolates. Acta Trop 2016; 164:438-447. [PMID: 27720625 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Revised: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
High density oligonucleotide microarrays have been used on Plasmodium vivax field isolates to estimate whole genome expression. However, no microarray platform has been experimentally optimized for studying the transcriptome of field isolates. In the present study, we adopted both bioinformatics and experimental testing approaches to select best optimized probes suitable for detecting parasite transcripts from field samples and included them in designing a custom 15K P. vivax microarray. This microarray has long oligonucleotide probes (60mer) that were in-situ synthesized onto glass slides using Agilent SurePrint technology and has been developed into an 8X15K format (8 identical arrays on a single slide). Probes in this array were experimentally validated and represents 4180 P. vivax genes in sense orientation, of which 1219 genes have also probes in antisense orientation. Validation of the 15K array by using field samples (n=14) has shown 99% of parasite transcript detection from any of the samples. Correlation analysis between duplicate probes (n=85) present in the arrays showed perfect correlation (r2=0.98) indicating the reproducibility. Multiple probes representing the same gene exhibited similar kind of expression pattern across the samples (positive correlation, r≥0.6). Comparison of hybridization data with the previous studies and quantitative real-time PCR experiments were performed to highlight the microarray validation procedure. This array is unique in its design, and results indicate that the array is sensitive and reproducible. Hence, this microarray could be a valuable functional genomics tool to generate reliable expression data from P. vivax field isolates.
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17
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Fougère A, Jackson AP, Paraskevi Bechtsi D, Braks JAM, Annoura T, Fonager J, Spaccapelo R, Ramesar J, Chevalley-Maurel S, Klop O, van der Laan AMA, Tanke HJ, Kocken CHM, Pasini EM, Khan SM, Böhme U, van Ooij C, Otto TD, Janse CJ, Franke-Fayard B. Variant Exported Blood-Stage Proteins Encoded by Plasmodium Multigene Families Are Expressed in Liver Stages Where They Are Exported into the Parasitophorous Vacuole. PLoS Pathog 2016; 12:e1005917. [PMID: 27851824 PMCID: PMC5113031 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Many variant proteins encoded by Plasmodium-specific multigene families are exported into red blood cells (RBC). P. falciparum-specific variant proteins encoded by the var, stevor and rifin multigene families are exported onto the surface of infected red blood cells (iRBC) and mediate interactions between iRBC and host cells resulting in tissue sequestration and rosetting. However, the precise function of most other Plasmodium multigene families encoding exported proteins is unknown. To understand the role of RBC-exported proteins of rodent malaria parasites (RMP) we analysed the expression and cellular location by fluorescent-tagging of members of the pir, fam-a and fam-b multigene families. Furthermore, we performed phylogenetic analyses of the fam-a and fam-b multigene families, which indicate that both families have a history of functional differentiation unique to RMP. We demonstrate for all three families that expression of family members in iRBC is not mutually exclusive. Most tagged proteins were transported into the iRBC cytoplasm but not onto the iRBC plasma membrane, indicating that they are unlikely to play a direct role in iRBC-host cell interactions. Unexpectedly, most family members are also expressed during the liver stage, where they are transported into the parasitophorous vacuole. This suggests that these protein families promote parasite development in both the liver and blood, either by supporting parasite development within hepatocytes and erythrocytes and/or by manipulating the host immune response. Indeed, in the case of Fam-A, which have a steroidogenic acute regulatory-related lipid transfer (START) domain, we found that several family members can transfer phosphatidylcholine in vitro. These observations indicate that these proteins may transport (host) phosphatidylcholine for membrane synthesis. This is the first demonstration of a biological function of any exported variant protein family of rodent malaria parasites. Malaria-parasites invade and multiply in hepatocytes and erythrocytes. The human parasite P. falciparum transports proteins encoded by multigene families onto the surface of erythrocytes, mediating interactions between infected red blood cells (iRBCs) and other host-cells and are thought to play a key role in parasite survival during blood-stage development. The function of other exported Plasmodium protein families remains largely unknown. We provide novel insights into expression and cellular location of proteins encoded by three large multigene families of rodent malaria parasites (Fam-a, Fam-b and PIR). Multiple members of the same family are expressed in a single iRBC, unlike P. falciparum PfEMP1 proteins where individual iRBCs express only a single member. Most proteins we examined are located in the RBC cytoplasm and are not transported onto the iRBC surface membrane, indicating that these proteins are unlikely to mediate interactions between iRBCs and host-cells. Unexpectedly, liver stages also express many of these proteins, where they locate to the vacuole surrounding the parasite inside the hepatocyte. In support of a role of these proteins for parasite growth within their host cells we provide evidence that Fam-A proteins have a role in uptake and transport of (host) phosphatidylcholine for parasite-membrane synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Fougère
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Andrew P. Jackson
- Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UnitedKingdom
| | | | - Joanna A. M. Braks
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Takeshi Annoura
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jannik Fonager
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Microbiological Diagnostics and Virology, Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Jai Ramesar
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Séverine Chevalley-Maurel
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Onny Klop
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | | | - Hans J. Tanke
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Erica M. Pasini
- Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Shahid M. Khan
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ulrike Böhme
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UnitedKingdom
| | - Christiaan van Ooij
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, Mill Hill, London, UnitedKingdom
| | - Thomas D. Otto
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UnitedKingdom
| | - Chris J. Janse
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Blandine Franke-Fayard
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Parasitology, Center of infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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18
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Auburn S, Böhme U, Steinbiss S, Trimarsanto H, Hostetler J, Sanders M, Gao Q, Nosten F, Newbold CI, Berriman M, Price RN, Otto TD. A new Plasmodium vivax reference sequence with improved assembly of the subtelomeres reveals an abundance of pir genes. Wellcome Open Res 2016; 1:4. [PMID: 28008421 PMCID: PMC5172418 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.9876.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is now the predominant cause of malaria in the Asia-Pacific, South America and Horn of Africa. Laboratory studies of this species are constrained by the inability to maintain the parasite in continuous
ex vivo culture, but genomic approaches provide an alternative and complementary avenue to investigate the parasite’s biology and epidemiology. To date, molecular studies of
P. vivax have relied on the Salvador-I reference genome sequence, derived from a monkey-adapted strain from South America. However, the Salvador-I reference remains highly fragmented with over 2500 unassembled scaffolds. Using high-depth Illumina sequence data, we assembled and annotated a new reference sequence, PvP01, sourced directly from a patient from Papua Indonesia. Draft assemblies of isolates from China (PvC01) and Thailand (PvT01) were also prepared for comparative purposes. The quality of the PvP01 assembly is improved greatly over Salvador-I, with fragmentation reduced to 226 scaffolds. Detailed manual curation has ensured highly comprehensive annotation, with functions attributed to 58% core genes in PvP01 versus 38% in Salvador-I. The assemblies of PvP01, PvC01 and PvT01 are larger than that of Salvador-I (28-30 versus 27 Mb), owing to improved assembly of the subtelomeres. An extensive repertoire of over 1200
Plasmodium interspersed repeat (
pir) genes were identified in PvP01 compared to 346 in Salvador-I, suggesting a vital role in parasite survival or development. The manually curated PvP01 reference and PvC01 and PvT01 draft assemblies are important new resources to study vivax malaria. PvP01 is maintained at GeneDB and ongoing curation will ensure continual improvements in assembly and annotation quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Auburn
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Ulrike Böhme
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | | | | | - Jessica Hostetler
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.,Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, USA
| | - Mandy Sanders
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Qi Gao
- Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention (Ministry of Health), Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Parasite Molecular Biology, Jiangsu, China
| | - Francois Nosten
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Chris I Newbold
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.,Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Ric N Price
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Thomas D Otto
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
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Requena P, Rui E, Padilla N, Martínez-Espinosa FE, Castellanos ME, Bôtto-Menezes C, Malheiro A, Arévalo-Herrera M, Kochar S, Kochar SK, Kochar DK, Umbers AJ, Ome-Kaius M, Wangnapi R, Hans D, Menegon M, Mateo F, Sanz S, Desai M, Mayor A, Chitnis CC, Bardají A, Mueller I, Rogerson S, Severini C, Fernández-Becerra C, Menéndez C, del Portillo H, Dobaño C. Plasmodium vivax VIR Proteins Are Targets of Naturally-Acquired Antibody and T Cell Immune Responses to Malaria in Pregnant Women. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0005009. [PMID: 27711158 PMCID: PMC5053494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
P. vivax infection during pregnancy has been associated with poor outcomes such as anemia, low birth weight and congenital malaria, thus representing an important global health problem. However, no vaccine is currently available for its prevention. Vir genes were the first putative virulent factors associated with P. vivax infections, yet very few studies have examined their potential role as targets of immunity. We investigated the immunogenic properties of five VIR proteins and two long synthetic peptides containing conserved VIR sequences (PvLP1 and PvLP2) in the context of the PregVax cohort study including women from five malaria endemic countries: Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, India and Papua New Guinea (PNG) at different timepoints during and after pregnancy. Antibody responses against all antigens were detected in all populations, with PNG women presenting the highest levels overall. P. vivax infection at sample collection time was positively associated with antibody levels against PvLP1 (fold-increase: 1.60 at recruitment -first antenatal visit-) and PvLP2 (fold-increase: 1.63 at delivery), and P. falciparum co-infection was found to increase those responses (for PvLP1 at recruitment, fold-increase: 2.25). Levels of IgG against two VIR proteins at delivery were associated with higher birth weight (27 g increase per duplicating antibody levels, p<0.05). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from PNG uninfected pregnant women had significantly higher antigen-specific IFN-γ TH1 responses (p=0.006) and secreted less pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF and IL-6 after PvLP2 stimulation than P. vivax-infected women (p<0.05). These data demonstrate that VIR antigens induce the natural acquisition of antibody and T cell memory responses that might be important in immunity to P. vivax during pregnancy in very diverse geographical settings. Naturally-acquired antibody responses to novel recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides based on sequences from P. vivax VIR antigens were evaluated in women from five distinct geographical regions endemic for malaria, during and after pregnancy. Levels of IgG to VIR antigens were indicative of cumulative malaria exposure and increased with current P. vivax infection and P. falciparum co-infection. Antibody data were consistent with levels of malaria endemicity and current prevalence in the diverse geographical areas studied. In addition, the magnitude of IgG response to two VIR antigens at delivery was associated with higher birth weight. Furthermore, T cell responses to VIR antigens were naturally induced and their magnitude varied according to P. vivax infectious status. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from uninfected pregnant women from a highly endemic area produced higher TH1 (IFN-γ) and lower pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF and IL-6) upon stimulation with a long synthetic peptide representing conserved globular domains of VIR antigens than P. vivax-infected women. Data suggest that further investigation on these antigens as potential targets of immunity in naturally-exposed individuals is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Requena
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Edmilson Rui
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Norma Padilla
- Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Flor E. Martínez-Espinosa
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
- Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane (ILMD/Fiocruz Amazonia), Brazil
| | | | - Camila Bôtto-Menezes
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
- Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Adriana Malheiro
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | - Swati Kochar
- Department of Medicine, Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
| | - Sanjay K. Kochar
- Department of Medicine, Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
| | | | | | - Maria Ome-Kaius
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Regina Wangnapi
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Dhiraj Hans
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Delhi, India
| | - Michela Menegon
- Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Mateo
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Sanz
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Meghna Desai
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Malaria Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Alfredo Mayor
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Chetan C. Chitnis
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Delhi, India
| | - Azucena Bardají
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ivo Mueller
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, Australia
| | - Stephen Rogerson
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Carlo Severini
- Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Carmen Fernández-Becerra
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Clara Menéndez
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hernando del Portillo
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail: (HdP); (CD)
| | - Carlota Dobaño
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail: (HdP); (CD)
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Ansari HR, Templeton TJ, Subudhi AK, Ramaprasad A, Tang J, Lu F, Naeem R, Hashish Y, Oguike MC, Benavente ED, Clark TG, Sutherland CJ, Barnwell JW, Culleton R, Cao J, Pain A. Genome-scale comparison of expanded gene families in Plasmodium ovale wallikeri and Plasmodium ovale curtisi with Plasmodium malariae and with other Plasmodium species. Int J Parasitol 2016; 46:685-96. [PMID: 27392654 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Malaria in humans is caused by six species of Plasmodium parasites, of which the nuclear genome sequences for the two Plasmodium ovale spp., P. ovale curtisi and P. ovale wallikeri, and Plasmodium malariae have not yet been analyzed. Here we present an analysis of the nuclear genome sequences of these three parasites, and describe gene family expansions therein. Plasmodium ovale curtisi and P. ovale wallikeri are genetically distinct but morphologically indistinguishable and have sympatric ranges through the tropics of Africa, Asia and Oceania. Both P. ovale spp. show expansion of the surfin variant gene family, and an amplification of the Plasmodium interspersed repeat (pir) superfamily which results in an approximately 30% increase in genome size. For comparison, we have also analyzed the draft nuclear genome of P. malariae, a malaria parasite causing mild malaria symptoms with a quartan life cycle, long-term chronic infections, and wide geographic distribution. Plasmodium malariae shows only a moderate level of expansion of pir genes, and unique expansions of a highly diverged transmembrane protein family with over 550 members and the gamete P25/27 gene family. The observed diversity in the P. ovale wallikeri and P. ovale curtisi surface antigens, combined with their phylogenetic separation, supports consideration that the two parasites be given species status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hifzur Rahman Ansari
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Jeddah 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Thomas J Templeton
- Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York 10021, USA
| | - Amit Kumar Subudhi
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Jeddah 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abhinay Ramaprasad
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Jeddah 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jianxia Tang
- Key Laboratory of National Health and Family Planning Commission on Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Lu
- Key Laboratory of National Health and Family Planning Commission on Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Raeece Naeem
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Jeddah 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yasmeen Hashish
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Jeddah 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mary C Oguike
- Department of Immunology & Infection, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ernest Diez Benavente
- Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Taane G Clark
- Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Colin J Sutherland
- Department of Immunology & Infection, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Public Health England Malaria Reference Laboratory, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - John W Barnwell
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027, USA
| | - Richard Culleton
- Malaria Unit, Department of Pathology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
| | - Jun Cao
- Key Laboratory of National Health and Family Planning Commission on Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Arnab Pain
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Jeddah 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Global Station for Zoonosis Control, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, N20 W10 Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.
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Shen HM, Chen SB, Wang Y, Chen JH. Whole-genome sequencing of a Plasmodium vivax isolate from the China-Myanmar border area. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2016; 110:814-6. [PMID: 26517664 PMCID: PMC4667588 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760150216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, there is a trend of an increasing number of Plasmodium
vivaxmalaria cases in China that are imported across its Southeast Asia
border, especially in the China-Myanmar border area (CMB). To date, little is known
about the genetic diversity of P. vivax in this region. In this
paper, we report the first genome sequencing of a P. vivaxisolate
(CMB-1) from a vivax malaria patient in CMB. The sequencing data were aligned onto
96.43% of the P. vivax Salvador I reference strain (Sal I) genome
with 7.84-fold coverage as well as onto 98.32% of 14 Sal I chromosomes. Using
the de novo assembly approach, we generated 8,541 scaffolds and
assembled a total of 27.1 Mb of sequence into CMB-1 scaffolds. Furthermore, we
identified all 295 known virgenes, which is the largest subtelomeric
multigene family in malaria parasites. These results provide an important foundation
for further research onP. vivax population genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Mo Shen
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Shen-Bo Chen
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Wang
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun-Hu Chen
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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22
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Gunawardena S, Karunaweera ND. Advances in genetics and genomics: use and limitations in achieving malaria elimination goals. Pathog Glob Health 2016; 109:123-41. [PMID: 25943157 DOI: 10.1179/2047773215y.0000000015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Success of the global research agenda towards eradication of malaria will depend on the development of new tools, including drugs, vaccines, insecticides and diagnostics. Genetic and genomic information now available for the malaria parasites, their mosquito vectors and human host, can be harnessed to both develop these tools and monitor their effectiveness. Here we review and provide specific examples of current technological advances and how these genetic and genomic tools have increased our knowledge of host, parasite and vector biology in relation to malaria elimination and in turn enhanced the potential to reach that goal. We then discuss limitations of these tools and future prospects for the successful achievement of global malaria elimination goals.
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23
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Zhu L, Mok S, Imwong M, Jaidee A, Russell B, Nosten F, Day NP, White NJ, Preiser PR, Bozdech Z. New insights into the Plasmodium vivax transcriptome using RNA-Seq. Sci Rep 2016; 6:20498. [PMID: 26858037 PMCID: PMC4746618 DOI: 10.1038/srep20498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically seen as a benign disease, it is now becoming clear that Plasmodium vivax can cause significant morbidity. Effective control strategies targeting P. vivax malaria is hindered by our limited understanding of vivax biology. Here we established the P. vivax transcriptome of the Intraerythrocytic Developmental Cycle (IDC) of two clinical isolates in high resolution by Illumina HiSeq platform. The detailed map of transcriptome generates new insights into regulatory mechanisms of individual genes and reveals their intimate relationship with specific biological functions. A transcriptional hotspot of vir genes observed on chromosome 2 suggests a potential active site modulating immune evasion of the Plasmodium parasite across patients. Compared to other eukaryotes, P. vivax genes tend to have unusually long 5′ untranslated regions and also present multiple transcription start sites. In contrast, alternative splicing is rare in P. vivax but its association with the late schizont stage suggests some of its significance for gene function. The newly identified transcripts, including up to 179 vir like genes and 3018 noncoding RNAs suggest an important role of these gene/transcript classes in strain specific transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Sachel Mok
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Mallika Imwong
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Anchalee Jaidee
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
| | - Bruce Russell
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore, Singapore
| | - Francois Nosten
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
| | - Nicholas P Day
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nicholas J White
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter R Preiser
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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24
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Luo Z, Sullivan SA, Carlton JM. The biology of Plasmodium vivax explored through genomics. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2015; 1342:53-61. [PMID: 25693446 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2014] [Revised: 12/29/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite. Of the four Plasmodium species that routinely cause human malaria, Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread species outside Africa, causing ∼18.9 million cases in 2012. P. vivax cannot be cultured continuously in vitro, which severely hampers research in nonendemic and endemic countries alike. Consequently, whole-genome sequencing has become an effective means to interrogate the biology of the P. vivax parasite. Our comparative genomic analysis of five P. vivax reference genomes and several whole-genome sequences of the closely related monkey malaria species P. cynomolgi has revealed an extraordinary level of genetic diversity and enabled characterization of novel multigene families and important single-copy genes. The generation of whole-genome sequences from multiple clinical isolates is also driving forward knowledge concerning the biology and evolution of the species. Understanding the biology of P. vivax is crucial to develop potential antimalarial drugs and vaccines and to achieve the goal of eliminating malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zunping Luo
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, New York
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25
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Plasmodium vivax trophozoite-stage proteomes. J Proteomics 2014; 115:157-76. [PMID: 25545414 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2014.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/21/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Plasmodium vivax is the causative infectious agent of 80-300 million annual cases of malaria. Many aspects of this parasite's biology remain unknown. To further elucidate the interaction of P. vivax with its Saimiri boliviensis host, we obtained detailed proteomes of infected red blood cells, representing the trophozoite-enriched stage of development. Data from two of three biological replicate proteomes, emphasized here, were analyzed using five search engines, which enhanced identifications and resulted in the most comprehensive P. vivax proteomes to date, with 1375 P. vivax and 3209 S. boliviensis identified proteins. Ribosome subunit proteins were noted for both P. vivax and S. boliviensis, consistent with P. vivax's known reticulocyte host-cell specificity. A majority of the host and pathogen proteins identified belong to specific functional categories, and several parasite gene families, while 33% of the P. vivax proteins have no reported function. Hemoglobin was significantly oxidized in both proteomes, and additional protein oxidation and nitration was detected in one of the two proteomes. Detailed analyses of these post-translational modifications are presented. The proteins identified here significantly expand the known P. vivax proteome and complexity of available host protein functionality underlying the host-parasite interactive biology, and reveal unsuspected oxidative modifications that may impact protein function. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE Plasmodium vivax malaria is a serious neglected disease, causing an estimated 80 to 300 million cases annually in 95 countries. Infection can result in significant morbidity and possible death. P. vivax, unlike the much better-studied Plasmodium falciparum species, cannot be grown in long-term culture, has a dormant form in the liver called the hypnozoite stage, has a reticulocyte host-cell preference in the blood, and creates caveolae vesicle complexes at the surface of the infected reticulocyte membranes. Studies of stage-specific P. vivax expressed proteomes have been limited in scope and focused mainly on pathogen proteins, thus limiting understanding of the biology of this pathogen and its host interactions. Here three P. vivax proteomes are reported from biological replicates based on purified trophozoite-infected reticulocytes from different Saimiri boliviensis infections (the main non-human primate experimental model for P. vivax biology and pathogenesis). An in-depth analysis of two of the proteomes using 2D LC/MS/MS and multiple search engines identified 1375 pathogen proteins and 3209 host proteins. Numerous functional categories of both host and pathogen proteins were identified, including several known P. vivax protein family members (e.g., PHIST, eTRAMP and VIR), and 33% of protein identifications were classified as hypothetical. Ribosome subunit proteins were noted for both P. vivax and S. boliviensis, consistent with this parasite species' known reticulocyte host-cell specificity. In two biological replicates analyzed for post-translational modifications, hemoglobin was extensively oxidized, and various other proteins were also oxidized or nitrated in one of the two replicates. The cause of such protein modification remains to be determined but could include oxidized heme and oxygen radicals released from the infected red blood cell's parasite-induced acidic digestive vacuoles. In any case, the data suggests the presence of distinct infection-specific conditions whereby both the pathogen and host infected red blood cell proteins may be subject to significant oxidative stress.
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26
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Otto TD, Böhme U, Jackson AP, Hunt M, Franke-Fayard B, Hoeijmakers WAM, Religa AA, Robertson L, Sanders M, Ogun SA, Cunningham D, Erhart A, Billker O, Khan SM, Stunnenberg HG, Langhorne J, Holder AA, Waters AP, Newbold CI, Pain A, Berriman M, Janse CJ. A comprehensive evaluation of rodent malaria parasite genomes and gene expression. BMC Biol 2014; 12:86. [PMID: 25359557 PMCID: PMC4242472 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-014-0086-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rodent malaria parasites (RMP) are used extensively as models of human malaria. Draft RMP genomes have been published for Plasmodium yoelii, P. berghei ANKA (PbA) and P. chabaudi AS (PcAS). Although availability of these genomes made a significant impact on recent malaria research, these genomes were highly fragmented and were annotated with little manual curation. The fragmented nature of the genomes has hampered genome wide analysis of Plasmodium gene regulation and function. RESULTS We have greatly improved the genome assemblies of PbA and PcAS, newly sequenced the virulent parasite P. yoelii YM genome, sequenced additional RMP isolates/lines and have characterized genotypic diversity within RMP species. We have produced RNA-seq data and utilised it to improve gene-model prediction and to provide quantitative, genome-wide, data on gene expression. Comparison of the RMP genomes with the genome of the human malaria parasite P. falciparum and RNA-seq mapping permitted gene annotation at base-pair resolution. Full-length chromosomal annotation permitted a comprehensive classification of all subtelomeric multigene families including the 'Plasmodium interspersed repeat genes' (pir). Phylogenetic classification of the pir family, combined with pir expression patterns, indicates functional diversification within this family. CONCLUSIONS Complete RMP genomes, RNA-seq and genotypic diversity data are excellent and important resources for gene-function and post-genomic analyses and to better interrogate Plasmodium biology. Genotypic diversity between P. chabaudi isolates makes this species an excellent parasite to study genotype-phenotype relationships. The improved classification of multigene families will enhance studies on the role of (variant) exported proteins in virulence and immune evasion/modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Otto
- />Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge UK
| | - Ulrike Böhme
- />Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge UK
| | - Andrew P Jackson
- />Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Martin Hunt
- />Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge UK
| | - Blandine Franke-Fayard
- />Leiden Malaria Research Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wieteke A M Hoeijmakers
- />Department of Molecular Biology, Science faculty, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Agnieszka A Religa
- />Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, School of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, & Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland UK
| | | | - Mandy Sanders
- />Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge UK
| | - Solabomi A Ogun
- />Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London UK
| | - Deirdre Cunningham
- />Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London UK
| | - Annette Erhart
- />Unit of Malariology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Oliver Billker
- />Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge UK
| | - Shahid M Khan
- />Leiden Malaria Research Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Hendrik G Stunnenberg
- />Department of Molecular Biology, Science faculty, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jean Langhorne
- />Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London UK
| | - Anthony A Holder
- />Division of Parasitology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London UK
| | - Andrew P Waters
- />Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, School of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, & Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland UK
| | - Chris I Newbold
- />Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
- />Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford UK
| | - Arnab Pain
- />Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Chris J Janse
- />Leiden Malaria Research Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Gupta P, Pande V, Das A, Singh V. Genetic polymorphisms in VIR genes among Indian Plasmodium vivax populations. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2014; 52:557-64. [PMID: 25352708 PMCID: PMC4210742 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2014.52.5.557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Revised: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The vir genes are antigenic genes and are considered to be possible vaccine targets. Since India is highly endemic to Plasmodium vivax, we sequenced 5 different vir genes and investigated DNA sequence variations in 93 single-clonal P. vivax isolates. High variability was observed in all the 5 vir genes; the vir 1/9 gene was highly diverged across Indian populations. The patterns of genetic diversity do not follow geographical locations, as geographically distant populations were found to be genetically similar. The results in general present complex genetic diversity patterns in India, requiring further in-depth population genetic and functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Purva Gupta
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Sector-8 Dwarka, New Delhi-110077, India
| | - Veena Pande
- Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, 263001, India
| | - Aparup Das
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Sector-8 Dwarka, New Delhi-110077, India
| | - Vineeta Singh
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Sector-8 Dwarka, New Delhi-110077, India
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Prajapati SK, Culleton R, Singh OP. Protein trafficking in Plasmodium falciparum-infected red cells and impact of the expansion of exported protein families. Parasitology 2014; 141:1-11. [PMID: 25076418 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182014000948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY Erythrocytes are extensively remodelled by the malaria parasite following invasion of the cell. Plasmodium falciparum encodes numerous virulence-associated and host-cell remodelling proteins that are trafficked to the cytoplasm, the cell membrane and the surface of the infected erythrocyte. The export of soluble proteins relies on a sequence directing entry into the secretory pathways in addition to an export signal. The export signal consisting of five amino acids is termed the Plasmodium export element (PEXEL) or the vacuole transport signal (VTS). Genome mining studies have revealed that PEXEL/VTS carrying protein families have expanded dramatically in P. falciparum compared with other malaria parasite species, possibly due to lineage-specific expansion linked to the unique requirements of P. falciparum for host-cell remodelling. The functional characterization of such genes and gene families may reveal potential drug targets that could inhibit protein trafficking in infected erythrocytes. This review highlights some of the recent advances and key knowledge gaps in protein trafficking pathways in P. falciparum-infected red cells and speculates on the impact of exported gene families in the trafficking pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surendra K Prajapati
- Molecular Biology Division,National Institute of Malaria Research,New Delhi,India
| | - Richard Culleton
- Malaria Unit,Institute for Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University,Nagasaki,Japan
| | - Om P Singh
- Molecular Biology Division,National Institute of Malaria Research,New Delhi,India
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Lopes SCP, Albrecht L, Carvalho BO, Siqueira AM, Thomson-Luque R, Nogueira PA, Fernandez-Becerra C, Del Portillo HA, Russell BM, Rénia L, Lacerda MVG, Costa FTM. Paucity of Plasmodium vivax mature schizonts in peripheral blood is associated with their increased cytoadhesive potential. J Infect Dis 2014; 209:1403-7. [PMID: 24415786 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiu018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
There is now a growing body of evidence that challenges the current view that Plasmodium vivax-infected erythrocyte (Pv-iE) are unable to sequester. Here we used ex vivo adhesion assays with Pv-iE before and after maturation to demonstrate a higher binding potential of schizonts compared to other asexual stages. These experimental results are correlated with our observations in a panel of 50 vivax malaria patients where schizonts were completely absent in 27 isolates, and few schizonts were observed in the remaining patients. These observations prompt a paradigm shift in P. vivax biology and open avenues to investigate the role of Pv-iE sequestration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie C P Lopes
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução e Bioagentes, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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Hester J, Chan ER, Menard D, Mercereau-Puijalon O, Barnwell J, Zimmerman PA, Serre D. De novo assembly of a field isolate genome reveals novel Plasmodium vivax erythrocyte invasion genes. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013; 7:e2569. [PMID: 24340114 PMCID: PMC3854868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Accepted: 10/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent sequencing of Plasmodium vivax field isolates and monkey-adapted strains enabled characterization of SNPs throughout the genome. These analyses relied on mapping short reads onto the P. vivax reference genome that was generated using DNA from the monkey-adapted strain Salvador I. Any genomic locus deleted in this strain would be lacking in the reference genome sequence and missed in previous analyses. Here, we report de novo assembly of a P. vivax field isolate genome. Out of 2,857 assembled contigs, we identify 362 contigs, each containing more than 5 kb of contiguous DNA sequences absent from the reference genome sequence. These novel P. vivax DNA sequences account for 3.8 million nucleotides and contain 792 predicted genes. Most of these contigs contain members of multigene families and likely originate from telomeric regions. Interestingly, we identify two contigs containing predicted protein coding genes similar to known Plasmodium red blood cell invasion proteins. One gene encodes the reticulocyte-binding protein gene orthologous to P. cynomolgi RBP2e and P. knowlesi NBPXb. The second gene harbors all the hallmarks of a Plasmodium erythrocyte-binding protein, including conserved Duffy-binding like and C-terminus cysteine-rich domains. Phylogenetic analysis shows that this novel gene clusters separately from all known Plasmodium Duffy-binding protein genes. Additional analyses showing that this gene is present in most P. vivax genomes and transcribed in blood-stage parasites suggest that P. vivax red blood cell invasion mechanisms may be more complex than currently understood. The strategy employed here complements previous genomic analyses and takes full advantage of next-generation sequencing data to provide a comprehensive characterization of genetic variations in this important malaria parasite. Further analyses of the novel protein coding genes discovered through de novo assembly have the potential to identify genes that influence key aspects of P. vivax biology, including alternative mechanisms of human erythrocyte invasion. Plasmodium vivax is responsible for most malaria cases outside Africa, but is poorly understood, as the parasite is difficult to study in vitro. Genome sequencing studies offer a novel and exciting opportunity to better understand this parasite but, so far, have directly mapped reads onto the reference genome sequence generated from a single P. vivax strain. Here, we use sequence data generated from a field isolate to reconstruct long DNA sequences without relying on the reference genome. Our analyses reveal many P. vivax DNA sequences that are absent from the reference genome and contain 792 predicted genes. One of these novel genes encodes a predicted protein similar to known Plasmodium proteins involved in red blood cell invasion. This new gene is present in all P. vivax strains sequenced so far, except for the strain used to generate the reference genome, and is transcribed in blood-stage parasites. Overall, our analyses show that the catalogue of P. vivax genes was incomplete and that potentially important genes have been missed. We notably identified one putative invasion gene that seems functional and could dramatically change our understanding of the mechanisms determining red blood cell invasion by this important malaria parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Hester
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Ernest R. Chan
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Didier Menard
- Unité d'Epidémiologie Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | | | - John Barnwell
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Peter A. Zimmerman
- Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail: (PAZ); (DS)
| | - David Serre
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail: (PAZ); (DS)
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