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Hawadak J, Arya A, Chaudhry S, Singh V. Genetic diversity and natural selection analysis of VAR2CSA and vir genes: implication for vaccine development. Genomics Inform 2024; 22:11. [PMID: 39010183 PMCID: PMC11247734 DOI: 10.1186/s44342-024-00009-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Variable surface antigens (VSAs) encoded by var and vir genes in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, respectively, are known to be involved in malaria pathogenesis and host immune escape through antigenic variations. Knowledge of the genetic diversity of these antigens is essential for malaria control and effective vaccine development. In this study, we analysed the genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of two fragments (DBL2X and DBL3X) of VAR2CSA gene and four vir genes (vir 4, vir 12, vir 21 and vir 27) from different endemic regions, including Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. High levels of segregating sites (S) and haplotype diversity (Hd) were observed in both var and vir genes. Among vir genes, vir 12 (S = 131, Hd = 0.996) and vir 21 (S = 171, Hd = 892) were found to be more diverse as compared to vir 4 (S = 11, Hd = 0.748) and vir 27 (S = 23, Hd = 0.814). DBL2X (S = 99, Hd = 0.996) and DBL3X (S = 307, Hd = 0.999) fragments showed higher genetic diversity. Our analysis indicates that var and vir genes are highly diverse and follow the similar evolutionary pattern globally. Some codons showed signatures of positive or negative selection pressure, but vir and var genes are likely to be under balancing selection. This study highlights the high variability of var and vir genes and underlines the need of functional experimental studies to determine the most relevant allelic forms for effective progress towards vaccine formulation and testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Hawadak
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Aditi Arya
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Shewta Chaudhry
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Vineeta Singh
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), Delhi, 110077, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.
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2
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Michel M, Skourtanioti E, Pierini F, Guevara EK, Mötsch A, Kocher A, Barquera R, Bianco RA, Carlhoff S, Coppola Bove L, Freilich S, Giffin K, Hermes T, Hiß A, Knolle F, Nelson EA, Neumann GU, Papac L, Penske S, Rohrlach AB, Salem N, Semerau L, Villalba-Mouco V, Abadie I, Aldenderfer M, Beckett JF, Brown M, Campus FGR, Chenghwa T, Cruz Berrocal M, Damašek L, Duffett Carlson KS, Durand R, Ernée M, Fântăneanu C, Frenzel H, García Atiénzar G, Guillén S, Hsieh E, Karwowski M, Kelvin D, Kelvin N, Khokhlov A, Kinaston RL, Korolev A, Krettek KL, Küßner M, Lai L, Look C, Majander K, Mandl K, Mazzarello V, McCormick M, de Miguel Ibáñez P, Murphy R, Németh RE, Nordqvist K, Novotny F, Obenaus M, Olmo-Enciso L, Onkamo P, Orschiedt J, Patrushev V, Peltola S, Romero A, Rubino S, Sajantila A, Salazar-García DC, Serrano E, Shaydullaev S, Sias E, Šlaus M, Stančo L, Swanston T, Teschler-Nicola M, Valentin F, Van de Vijver K, Varney TL, Vigil-Escalera Guirado A, Waters CK, Weiss-Krejci E, Winter E, Lamnidis TC, Prüfer K, Nägele K, Spyrou M, Schiffels S, Stockhammer PW, Haak W, Posth C, Warinner C, Bos KI, Herbig A, Krause J. Ancient Plasmodium genomes shed light on the history of human malaria. Nature 2024; 631:125-133. [PMID: 38867050 PMCID: PMC11222158 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07546-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Malaria-causing protozoa of the genus Plasmodium have exerted one of the strongest selective pressures on the human genome, and resistance alleles provide biomolecular footprints that outline the historical reach of these species1. Nevertheless, debate persists over when and how malaria parasites emerged as human pathogens and spread around the globe1,2. To address these questions, we generated high-coverage ancient mitochondrial and nuclear genome-wide data from P. falciparum, P. vivax and P. malariae from 16 countries spanning around 5,500 years of human history. We identified P. vivax and P. falciparum across geographically disparate regions of Eurasia from as early as the fourth and first millennia BCE, respectively; for P. vivax, this evidence pre-dates textual references by several millennia3. Genomic analysis supports distinct disease histories for P. falciparum and P. vivax in the Americas: similarities between now-eliminated European and peri-contact South American strains indicate that European colonizers were the source of American P. vivax, whereas the trans-Atlantic slave trade probably introduced P. falciparum into the Americas. Our data underscore the role of cross-cultural contacts in the dissemination of malaria, laying the biomolecular foundation for future palaeo-epidemiological research into the impact of Plasmodium parasites on human history. Finally, our unexpected discovery of P. falciparum in the high-altitude Himalayas provides a rare case study in which individual mobility can be inferred from infection status, adding to our knowledge of cross-cultural connectivity in the region nearly three millennia ago.
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MESH Headings
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Altitude
- Americas/epidemiology
- Asia/epidemiology
- Biological Evolution
- Disease Resistance/genetics
- DNA, Ancient/analysis
- Europe/epidemiology
- Genome, Mitochondrial/genetics
- Genome, Protozoan/genetics
- History, Ancient
- Malaria/parasitology
- Malaria/history
- Malaria/transmission
- Malaria/epidemiology
- Malaria, Falciparum/epidemiology
- Malaria, Falciparum/history
- Malaria, Falciparum/parasitology
- Malaria, Falciparum/transmission
- Malaria, Vivax/epidemiology
- Malaria, Vivax/history
- Malaria, Vivax/parasitology
- Malaria, Vivax/transmission
- Plasmodium/genetics
- Plasmodium/classification
- Plasmodium falciparum/genetics
- Plasmodium falciparum/isolation & purification
- Plasmodium malariae/genetics
- Plasmodium malariae/isolation & purification
- Plasmodium vivax/genetics
- Plasmodium vivax/isolation & purification
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Michel
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean, .
| | - Eirini Skourtanioti
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
| | - Federica Pierini
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Evelyn K Guevara
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Angela Mötsch
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
| | - Arthur Kocher
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification and Evolution Group, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
| | - Rodrigo Barquera
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Raffaela A Bianco
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
| | - Selina Carlhoff
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lorenza Coppola Bove
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Suzanne Freilich
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karen Giffin
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Taylor Hermes
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Alina Hiß
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Florian Knolle
- Department of Medical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A Nelson
- Microbial Palaeogenomics Unit, Department of Genomes and Genetics, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Gunnar U Neumann
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
| | - Luka Papac
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sandra Penske
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Adam B Rohrlach
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
- Adelaide Data Science Centre, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Nada Salem
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
| | - Lena Semerau
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Vanessa Villalba-Mouco
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón, IUCA-Aragosaurus, Universitity of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Isabelle Abadie
- Inrap - Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives, Paris, France
- Centre Michel de Boüard, Centre de recherches archéologiques et historiques anciennes et médiévales, Université de Caen Normandie, Caen, France
| | - Mark Aldenderfer
- Department of Anthropology and Heritage Studies, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | | | - Matthew Brown
- Sociology and Anthropology Department, Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY, USA
| | - Franco G R Campus
- Department of History, Human Sciences, and Education, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Tsang Chenghwa
- Institute of Anthropology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - María Cruz Berrocal
- Institute of Heritage Sciences (INCIPIT), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Ladislav Damašek
- Institute of Classical Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Raphaël Durand
- Service d'archéologie préventive Bourges plus, Bourges, France
- UMR 5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac Cedex, France
| | - Michal Ernée
- Department of Prehistoric Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Hannah Frenzel
- Anatomy Institute, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gabriel García Atiénzar
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico, Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig (Alicante), Spain
| | | | - Ellen Hsieh
- Institute of Anthropology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Maciej Karwowski
- Institut für Urgeschichte und Historische Archäologie, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - David Kelvin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Nikki Kelvin
- Division of Ancient Pathogens, BioForge Canada Limited, Halifax, Nove Scotia, Canada
| | - Alexander Khokhlov
- Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education, Samara, Russia
| | - Rebecca L Kinaston
- BioArch South, Waitati, New Zealand
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Studies, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Arkadii Korolev
- Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education, Samara, Russia
| | - Kim-Louise Krettek
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mario Küßner
- Thuringian State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Weimar, Germany
| | - Luca Lai
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Cory Look
- Sociology and Anthropology Department, Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY, USA
| | - Kerttu Majander
- Department of Environmental Science, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kirsten Mandl
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Michael McCormick
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
- Initiative for the Science of the Human Past at Harvard, Department of History, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Patxuka de Miguel Ibáñez
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico, Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig (Alicante), Spain
- Servicio de Obstetricia, Hospital Virgen de los Lirios-Fisabio, Alcoi, Spain
- Sección de Antropología, Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, Donostia - San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Reg Murphy
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | | | - Kerkko Nordqvist
- Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Friederike Novotny
- Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Obenaus
- Silva Nortica Archäologische Dienstleistungen, Thunau am Kamp, Austria
| | - Lauro Olmo-Enciso
- Department of History, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Päivi Onkamo
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jörg Orschiedt
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt, Halle, Germany
- Institut für Prähistorische Archäologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Valerii Patrushev
- Centre of Archaeological and Ethnographical Investigation, Mari State University, Yoshkar-Ola, Russia
| | - Sanni Peltola
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Alejandro Romero
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico, Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig (Alicante), Spain
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
| | - Salvatore Rubino
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Antti Sajantila
- Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Forensic Medicine Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Domingo C Salazar-García
- Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia i Història Antiga, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Elena Serrano
- Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
- TAR Arqueología, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Emanuela Sias
- Centro Studi sulla Civiltà del Mare, Stintino, Italy
| | - Mario Šlaus
- Anthropological Center, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ladislav Stančo
- Institute of Classical Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Treena Swanston
- Department of Anthropology, Economics and Political Science, MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Maria Teschler-Nicola
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Katrien Van de Vijver
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
- Center for Archaeological Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Dienst Archeologie - Stad Mechelen, Mechelen, Belgium
| | - Tamara L Varney
- Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Christopher K Waters
- Heritage Department, National Parks of Antigua and Barbuda, St. Paul's Parish, Antigua and Barbuda
| | - Estella Weiss-Krejci
- Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eduard Winter
- Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thiseas C Lamnidis
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kay Prüfer
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kathrin Nägele
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maria Spyrou
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stephan Schiffels
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Philipp W Stockhammer
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
- Institute for Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology and Archaeology of the Roman Provinces, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Haak
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cosimo Posth
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christina Warinner
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
- Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kirsten I Bos
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexander Herbig
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean, .
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Kattenberg JH, Cabrera-Sosa L, Figueroa-Ildefonso E, Mutsaers M, Monsieurs P, Guetens P, Infante B, Delgado-Ratto C, Gamboa D, Rosanas-Urgell A. Plasmodium vivax genomic surveillance in the Peruvian Amazon with Pv AmpliSeq assay. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011879. [PMID: 38991038 PMCID: PMC11265702 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax is the most predominant malaria species in Latin America, constituting 71.5% of malaria cases in 2021. With several countries aiming for malaria elimination, it is crucial to prioritize effectiveness of national control programs by optimizing the utilization of available resources and strategically implementing necessary changes. To support this, there is a need for innovative approaches such as genomic surveillance tools that can investigate changes in transmission intensity, imported cases and sources of reintroduction, and can detect molecular markers associated with drug resistance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here, we apply a modified highly-multiplexed deep sequencing assay: Pv AmpliSeq v2 Peru. The tool targets a newly developed 41-SNP Peru barcode for parasite population analysis within Peru, the 33-SNP vivaxGEN-geo panel for country-level classification, and 11 putative drug resistance genes. It was applied to 230 samples from the Peruvian Amazon (2007-2020), generating baseline surveillance data. We observed a heterogenous P. vivax population with high diversity and gene flow in peri-urban areas of Maynas province (Loreto region) with a temporal drift using all SNPs detected by the assay (nSNP = 2909). In comparison, in an indigenous isolated area, the parasite population was genetically differentiated (FST = 0.07-0.09) with moderate diversity and high relatedness between isolates in the community. In a remote border community, a clonal P. vivax cluster was identified, with distinct haplotypes in drug resistant genes and ama1, more similar to Brazilian isolates, likely representing an introduction of P. vivax from Brazil at that time. To test its applicability for Latin America, we evaluated the SNP Peru barcode in P. vivax genomes from the region and demonstrated the capacity to capture local population clustering at within-country level. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Together this data shows that P. vivax transmission is heterogeneous in different settings within the Peruvian Amazon. Genetic analysis is a key component for regional malaria control, offering valuable insights that should be incorporated into routine surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luis Cabrera-Sosa
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Alexander von Humboldt", Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Laboratorio de Malaria: Parásitos y Vectores, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Malaria Research Group (MaRCH), Global Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Erick Figueroa-Ildefonso
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Alexander von Humboldt", Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Laboratorio de Malaria: Parásitos y Vectores, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Mathijs Mutsaers
- Malariology Unit, Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pieter Monsieurs
- Malariology Unit, Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pieter Guetens
- Malariology Unit, Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Berónica Infante
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Alexander von Humboldt", Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Laboratorio de Malaria: Parásitos y Vectores, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Christopher Delgado-Ratto
- Malaria Research Group (MaRCH), Global Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Dionicia Gamboa
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Alexander von Humboldt", Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Laboratorio de Malaria: Parásitos y Vectores, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Anna Rosanas-Urgell
- Malariology Unit, Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
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Sohail A, Barry A, Auburn S, Cheng Q, Lau CL, Lee R, Price RN, Furuya-Kanamori L, Bareng P, McGuinness SL, Leder K. Imported malaria into Australia: surveillance insights and opportunities. J Travel Med 2024; 31:taad164. [PMID: 38127641 PMCID: PMC10998534 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taad164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria continues to pose a significant burden in endemic countries, many of which lack access to molecular surveillance. Insights from malaria cases in travellers returning to non-endemic areas can provide valuable data to inform endemic country programmes. To evaluate the potential for novel global insights into malaria, we examined epidemiological and molecular data from imported malaria cases to Australia. METHODS We analysed malaria cases reported in Australia from 2012 to 2022 using National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System data. Molecular data on imported malaria cases were obtained from literature searches. RESULTS Between 2012 and 2022, 3204 malaria cases were reported in Australia. Most cases (69%) were male and 44% occurred in young adults aged 20-39 years. Incidence rates initially declined between 2012 and 2015, then increased until 2019. During 2012-2019, the incidence in travellers ranged from 1.34 to 7.71 per 100 000 trips. Cases were primarily acquired in Sub-Saharan Africa (n = 1433; 45%), Oceania (n = 569; 18%) and Southern and Central Asia (n = 367; 12%). The most common countries of acquisition were Papua New Guinea (n = 474) and India (n = 277). Plasmodium falciparum accounted for 58% (1871/3204) of cases and was predominantly acquired in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Plasmodium vivax accounted for 32% (1016/3204), predominantly from Oceania and Asia. Molecular studies of imported malaria cases to Australia identified genetic mutations and deletions associated with drug resistance and false-negative rapid diagnostic test results, and led to the establishment of reference genomes for P. vivax and Plasmodium malariae. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis highlights the continuing burden of imported malaria into Australia. Molecular studies have offered valuable insights into drug resistance and diagnostic limitations, and established reference genomes. Integrating molecular data into national surveillance systems could provide important infectious disease intelligence to optimize treatment guidelines for returning travellers and support endemic country surveillance programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Sohail
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne 3004, Australia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Grampians Health, Ballarat 3350, Australia
| | - Alyssa Barry
- Institute for Physical and Mental Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) and School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, Australia
- Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne 3004, Australia
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin 0800, Australia
| | - Qin Cheng
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane 4051, Australia
| | - Colleen L Lau
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston 4006, Australia
| | - Rogan Lee
- Parasitology Unit, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Sydney 2145, Australia
| | - Ric N Price
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin 0800, Australia
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK
| | - Luis Furuya-Kanamori
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston 4006, Australia
| | - Paolo Bareng
- Institute for Physical and Mental Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) and School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, Australia
| | - Sarah L McGuinness
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne 3004, Australia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Health, Melbourne 3004, Australia
| | - Karin Leder
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne 3004, Australia
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Melbourne Health, Melbourne 3052, Australia
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5
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Kattenberg JH, Monsieurs P, De Meyer J, De Meulenaere K, Sauve E, de Oliveira TC, Ferreira MU, Gamboa D, Rosanas‐Urgell A. Population genomic evidence of structured and connected Plasmodium vivax populations under host selection in Latin America. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11103. [PMID: 38529021 PMCID: PMC10961478 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Pathogen genomic epidemiology has the potential to provide a deep understanding of population dynamics, facilitating strategic planning of interventions, monitoring their impact, and enabling timely responses, and thereby supporting control and elimination efforts of parasitic tropical diseases. Plasmodium vivax, responsible for most malaria cases outside Africa, shows high genetic diversity at the population level, driven by factors like sub-patent infections, a hidden reservoir of hypnozoites, and early transmission to mosquitoes. While Latin America has made significant progress in controlling Plasmodium falciparum, it faces challenges with residual P. vivax. To characterize genetic diversity and population structure and dynamics, we have analyzed the largest collection of P. vivax genomes to date, including 1474 high-quality genomes from 31 countries across Asia, Africa, Oceania, and America. While P. vivax shows high genetic diversity globally, Latin American isolates form a distinctive population, which is further divided into sub-populations and occasional clonal pockets. Genetic diversity within the continent was associated with the intensity of transmission. Population differentiation exists between Central America and the North Coast of South America, vs. the Amazon Basin, with significant gene flow within the Amazon Basin, but limited connectivity between the Northwest Coast and the Amazon Basin. Shared genomic regions in these parasite populations indicate adaptive evolution, particularly in genes related to DNA replication, RNA processing, invasion, and motility - crucial for the parasite's survival in diverse environments. Understanding these population-level adaptations is crucial for effective control efforts, offering insights into potential mechanisms behind drug resistance, immune evasion, and transmission dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pieter Monsieurs
- Malariology UnitInstitute of Tropical Medicine AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Julie De Meyer
- Malariology UnitInstitute of Tropical Medicine AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
- Present address:
Integrated Molecular Plant physiology Research (IMPRES) and Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Department of BiologyUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | | | - Erin Sauve
- Malariology UnitInstitute of Tropical Medicine AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Thaís C. de Oliveira
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Marcelo U. Ferreira
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of São PauloSão PauloBrazil
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineNova University of LisbonLisbonPortugal
| | - Dionicia Gamboa
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Alexander von Humboldt”Universidad Peruana Cayetano HerediaLimaPeru
- Laboratorio de Malaria: Parásitos y Vectores, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias e IngenieríaUniversidad Peruana Cayetano HerediaLimaPeru
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6
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Obaldía N, Da Silva Filho JL, Núñez M, Glass KA, Oulton T, Achcar F, Wirjanata G, Duraisingh M, Felgner P, Tetteh KK, Bozdech Z, Otto TD, Marti M. Sterile protection against P. vivax malaria by repeated blood stage infection in the Aotus monkey model. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302524. [PMID: 38158220 PMCID: PMC10756917 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax remains a major global public health challenge, and no vaccine is approved for use in humans. Here, we assessed whether P. vivax strain-transcendent immunity can be achieved by repeated infection in Aotus monkeys. Sterile immunity was achieved after two homologous infections, whereas subsequent heterologous challenge provided only partial protection. IgG levels based on P. vivax lysate ELISA and protein microarray increased with repeated infections and correlated with the level of homologous protection. Parasite transcriptional profiles provided no evidence of major antigenic switching upon homologous or heterologous challenge. However, we observed significant sequence diversity and transcriptional differences in the P. vivax core gene repertoire between the two strains used in the study, suggesting that partial protection upon heterologous challenge is due to molecular differences between strains rather than immune evasion by antigenic switching. Our study demonstrates that sterile immunity against P. vivax can be achieved by repeated homologous blood stage infection in Aotus monkeys, thus providing a benchmark to test the efficacy of candidate blood stage P. vivax malaria vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicanor Obaldía
- Departamento de Investigaciones en Parasitologia, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panamá City, Republic of Panamá
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
- https://ror.org/00vtgdb53 Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Joao Luiz Da Silva Filho
- https://ror.org/00vtgdb53 Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- https://ror.org/02crff812 Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse and Medical Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marlon Núñez
- Departamento de Investigaciones en Parasitologia, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panamá City, Republic of Panamá
| | - Katherine A Glass
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Tate Oulton
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Fiona Achcar
- https://ror.org/00vtgdb53 Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- https://ror.org/02crff812 Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse and Medical Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Grennady Wirjanata
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Manoj Duraisingh
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Philip Felgner
- Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kevin Ka Tetteh
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Thomas D Otto
- https://ror.org/00vtgdb53 Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Matthias Marti
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
- https://ror.org/00vtgdb53 Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- https://ror.org/02crff812 Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse and Medical Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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7
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Hazzard B, Sá JM, Bogale HN, Pascini TV, Ellis AC, Amin S, Armistead JS, Adams JH, Wellems TE, Serre D. Single-cell analyses of polyclonal Plasmodium vivax infections and their consequences on parasite transmission. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3888175. [PMID: 38410426 PMCID: PMC10896380 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3888175/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Most Plasmodium vivax infections contain genetically distinct parasites, but the consequences of this polyclonality on the development of asexual parasites, their sexual differentiation, and their transmission remain unknown. We describe infections of Saimiri monkeys with two strains of P. vivax and the analyses of 117,350 parasites characterized by single cell RNA sequencing and individually genotyped. In our model, consecutive inoculations fail to establish polyclonal infections. By contrast, simultaneous inoculations of two strains lead to sustained polyclonal infections, although without detectable differences in parasite regulation or sexual commitment. Analyses of sporozoites dissected from mosquitoes fed on coinfected monkeys show that all genotypes are successfully transmitted to mosquitoes. However, after sporozoite inoculation, not all genotypes contribute to the subsequent blood infections, highlighting an important bottleneck during pre-erythrocytic development. Overall, these studies provide new insights on the mechanisms regulating the establishment of polyclonal P. vivax infections and their consequences for disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany Hazzard
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Juliana M. Sá
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Haikel N. Bogale
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Tales V. Pascini
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Angela C. Ellis
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Shuchi Amin
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jennifer S. Armistead
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Center for Global Health and Inter-Disciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
| | - John H. Adams
- Center for Global Health and Inter-Disciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
| | - Thomas E. Wellems
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - David Serre
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Lead contact
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Cepeda AS, Mello B, Pacheco MA, Luo Z, Sullivan SA, Carlton JM, Escalante AA. The Genome of Plasmodium gonderi: Insights into the Evolution of Human Malaria Parasites. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae027. [PMID: 38376987 PMCID: PMC10901558 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae027] [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] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium species causing malaria in humans are not monophyletic, sharing common ancestors with nonhuman primate parasites. Plasmodium gonderi is one of the few known Plasmodium species infecting African old-world monkeys that are not found in apes. This study reports a de novo assembled P. gonderi genome with complete chromosomes. The P. gonderi genome shares codon usage, syntenic blocks, and other characteristics with the human parasites Plasmodium ovale s.l. and Plasmodium malariae, also of African origin, and the human parasite Plasmodium vivax and species found in nonhuman primates from Southeast Asia. Using phylogenetically aware methods, newly identified syntenic blocks were found enriched with conserved metabolic genes. Regions outside those blocks harbored genes encoding proteins involved in the vertebrate host-Plasmodium relationship undergoing faster evolution. Such genome architecture may have facilitated colonizing vertebrate hosts. Phylogenomic analyses estimated the common ancestor between P. vivax and an African ape parasite P. vivax-like, within the Asian nonhuman primates parasites clade. Time estimates incorporating P. gonderi placed the P. vivax and P. vivax-like common ancestor in the late Pleistocene, a time of active migration of hominids between Africa and Asia. Thus, phylogenomic and time-tree analyses are consistent with an Asian origin for P. vivax and an introduction of P. vivax-like into Africa. Unlike other studies, time estimates for the clade with Plasmodium falciparum, the most lethal human malaria parasite, coincide with their host species radiation, African hominids. Overall, the newly assembled genome presented here has the quality to support comparative genomic investigations in Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axl S Cepeda
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801, USA
| | - Beatriz Mello
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Andreína Pacheco
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801, USA
| | - Zunping Luo
- Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Steven A Sullivan
- Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Jane M Carlton
- Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Ananias A Escalante
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801, USA
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Gartner V, Redelings BD, Gaither C, Parr JB, Kalonji A, Phanzu F, Brazeau NF, Juliano JJ, Wray GA. Genomic insights into Plasmodium vivax population structure and diversity in central Africa. Malar J 2024; 23:27. [PMID: 38238806 PMCID: PMC10797969 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04852-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Though Plasmodium vivax is the second most common malaria species to infect humans, it has not traditionally been considered a major human health concern in central Africa given the high prevalence of the human Duffy-negative phenotype that is believed to prevent infection. Increasing reports of asymptomatic and symptomatic infections in Duffy-negative individuals throughout Africa raise the possibility that P. vivax is evolving to evade host resistance, but there are few parasite samples with genomic data available from this part of the world. METHODS Whole genome sequencing of one new P. vivax isolate from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was performed and used in population genomics analyses to assess how this central African isolate fits into the global context of this species. RESULTS Plasmodium vivax from DRC is similar to other African populations and is not closely related to the non-human primate parasite P. vivax-like. Evidence is found for a duplication of the gene PvDBP and a single copy of PvDBP2. CONCLUSION These results suggest an endemic P. vivax population is present in central Africa. Intentional sampling of P. vivax across Africa would further contextualize this sample within African P. vivax diversity and shed light on the mechanisms of infection in Duffy negative individuals. These results are limited by the uncertainty of how representative this single sample is of the larger population of P. vivax in central Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Gartner
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Benjamin D Redelings
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
- Ronin Institute, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
| | | | | | - Albert Kalonji
- SANRU Asbl, 149 A/B, Boulevard du 30 Juin, Kinshasa, Gombe, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Fernandine Phanzu
- SANRU Asbl, 149 A/B, Boulevard du 30 Juin, Kinshasa, Gombe, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | | | | | - Gregory A Wray
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
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10
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Kepple D, Ford CT, Williams J, Abagero B, Li S, Popovici J, Yewhalaw D, Lo E. Comparative transcriptomics reveal differential gene expression among Plasmodium vivax geographical isolates and implications on erythrocyte invasion mechanisms. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011926. [PMID: 38285730 PMCID: PMC10901308 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
The documentation of Plasmodium vivax malaria across Africa especially in regions where Duffy negatives are dominant suggests possibly alternative erythrocyte invasion mechanisms. While the transcriptomes of the Southeast Asian and South American P. vivax are well documented, the gene expression profile of P. vivax in Africa is unclear. In this study, we examined the expression of 4,404 gene transcripts belong to 12 functional groups and 43 erythrocyte binding gene candidates in Ethiopian isolates and compared them with the Cambodian and Brazilian P. vivax transcriptomes. Overall, there were 10-26% differences in the gene expression profile amongst geographical isolates, with the Ethiopian and Cambodian P. vivax being most similar. Majority of the gene transcripts involved in protein transportation, housekeeping, and host interaction were highly transcribed in the Ethiopian isolates. Members of the reticulocyte binding protein PvRBP2a and PvRBP3 expressed six-fold higher than Duffy binding protein PvDBP1 and 60-fold higher than PvEBP/DBP2 in the Ethiopian isolates. Other genes including PvMSP3.8, PvMSP3.9, PvTRAG2, PvTRAG14, and PvTRAG22 also showed relatively high expression. Differential expression patterns were observed among geographical isolates, e.g., PvDBP1 and PvEBP/DBP2 were highly expressed in the Cambodian but not the Brazilian and Ethiopian isolates, whereas PvRBP2a and PvRBP2b showed higher expression in the Ethiopian and Cambodian than the Brazilian isolates. Compared to Pvs25, gametocyte genes including PvAP2-G, PvGAP (female gametocytes), and Pvs47 (male gametocytes) were highly expressed across geographical samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kepple
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Colby T. Ford
- Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
- School of Data Science, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Williams
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Beka Abagero
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Shaoyu Li
- Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jean Popovici
- Malaria Research Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
- School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Eugenia Lo
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
- Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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11
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Kebede AM, Sutanto E, Trimarsanto H, Benavente ED, Barnes M, Pearson RD, Siegel SV, Erko B, Assefa A, Getachew S, Aseffa A, Petros B, Lo E, Mohammed R, Yilma D, Rumaseb A, Nosten F, Noviyanti R, Rayner JC, Kwiatkowski DP, Price RN, Golassa L, Auburn S. Genomic analysis of Plasmodium vivax describes patterns of connectivity and putative drivers of adaptation in Ethiopia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20788. [PMID: 38012191 PMCID: PMC10682486 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47889-w] [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] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethiopia has the greatest burden of Plasmodium vivax in Africa, but little is known about the epidemiological landscape of parasites across the country. We analysed the genomic diversity of 137 P. vivax isolates collected nine Ethiopian districts from 2012 to 2016. Signatures of selection were detected by cross-country comparisons with isolates from Thailand (n = 104) and Indonesia (n = 111), representing regions with low and high chloroquine resistance respectively. 26% (35/137) of Ethiopian infections were polyclonal, and 48.5% (17/35) of these comprised highly related clones (within-host identity-by-descent > 25%), indicating frequent co-transmission and superinfection. Parasite gene flow between districts could not be explained entirely by geographic distance, with economic and cultural factors hypothesised to have an impact on connectivity. Amplification of the duffy binding protein gene (pvdbp1) was prevalent across all districts (16-75%). Cross-population haplotype homozygosity revealed positive selection in a region proximal to the putative chloroquine resistance transporter gene (pvcrt-o). An S25P variant in amino acid transporter 1 (pvaat1), whose homologue has recently been implicated in P. falciparum chloroquine resistance evolution, was prevalent in Ethiopia (96%) but not Thailand or Indonesia (35-53%). The genomic architecture in Ethiopia highlights circulating variants of potential public health concern in an endemic setting with evidence of stable transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hidayat Trimarsanto
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, PO Box 41096, Darwin, NT, 0811, Australia
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Ernest Diez Benavente
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mariana Barnes
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, PO Box 41096, Darwin, NT, 0811, Australia
| | | | | | - Berhanu Erko
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Ashenafi Assefa
- Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Sisay Getachew
- Armauer Hansen Research Unit (AHRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Millipore Sigma (Bioreliance), Rockville, USA
| | - Abraham Aseffa
- Armauer Hansen Research Unit (AHRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Eugenia Lo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA
| | | | - Daniel Yilma
- Jimma University Clinical Trial Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Angela Rumaseb
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, PO Box 41096, Darwin, NT, 0811, Australia
| | - Francois Nosten
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Julian C Rayner
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Ric N Price
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, PO Box 41096, Darwin, NT, 0811, Australia
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Lemu Golassa
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, PO Box 41096, Darwin, NT, 0811, Australia.
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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12
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Sutanto E, Pava Z, Echeverry DF, Lopera-Mesa TM, Montenegro LM, Yasnot-Acosta MF, Benavente ED, Pearson RD, Herrera S, Arévalo-Herrera M, Trimarsanto H, Rumaseb A, Noviyanti R, Kwiatkowski DP, Price RN, Auburn S. Genomics of Plasmodium vivax in Colombia reveals evidence of local bottle-necking and inter-country connectivity in the Americas. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19779. [PMID: 37957271 PMCID: PMC10643449 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46076-1] [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] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Colombia aims to eliminate malaria by 2030 but remains one of the highest burden countries in the Americas. Plasmodium vivax contributes half of all malaria cases, with its control challenged by relapsing parasitaemia, drug resistance and cross-border spread. Using 64 Colombian P. vivax genomes collected between 2013 and 2017, we explored diversity and selection in two major foci of transmission: Chocó and Córdoba. Open-access data from other countries were used for comparative assessment of drug resistance candidates and to assess cross-border spread. Across Colombia, polyclonal infections were infrequent (12%), and infection connectivity was relatively high (median IBD = 5%), consistent with low endemicity. Chocó exhibited a higher frequency of polyclonal infections (23%) than Córdoba (7%), although the difference was not significant (P = 0.300). Most Colombian infections carried double pvdhfr (95%) and single pvdhps (71%) mutants, but other drug resistance mutations were less prevalent (< 10%). There was no evidence of selection at the pvaat1 gene, whose P. falciparum orthologue has recently been implicated in chloroquine resistance. Global population comparisons identified other putative adaptations. Within the Americas, low-level connectivity was observed between Colombia and Peru, highlighting potential for cross-border spread. Our findings demonstrate the potential of molecular data to inform on infection spread and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zuleima Pava
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Diego F Echeverry
- Departamento de Microbiología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- International Training and Medical Research Center (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
| | | | | | - Maria F Yasnot-Acosta
- Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas y Biomédicas de Córdoba (GIMBIC), Universidad de Córdoba, Monteria, Colombia
| | - Ernest Diez Benavente
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Myriam Arévalo-Herrera
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
- Centro Internacional de Vacunas, Cali, Colombia
| | - Hidayat Trimarsanto
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Angela Rumaseb
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | | | | | - Ric N Price
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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13
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De Meulenaere K, Cuypers B, Gamboa D, Laukens K, Rosanas-Urgell A. A new Plasmodium vivax reference genome for South American isolates. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:606. [PMID: 37821878 PMCID: PMC10568799 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09707-5] [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] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax is the second most important cause of human malaria worldwide, and accounts for the majority of malaria cases in South America. A high-quality reference genome exists for Papua Indonesia (PvP01) and Thailand (PvW1), but is lacking for South America. A reference genome specifically for South America would be beneficial though, as P. vivax is a genetically diverse parasite with geographical clustering. RESULTS This study presents a new high-quality assembly of a South American P. vivax isolate, referred to as PvPAM (P. vivax Peruvian AMazon). The genome was obtained from a low input patient sample from the Peruvian Amazon and sequenced using PacBio technology, resulting in a highly complete assembly with 6497 functional genes. Telomeric ends were present in 17 out of 28 chromosomal ends, and additional (sub)telomeric regions are present in 12 unassigned contigs. A comparison of multigene families between PvPAM and the PvP01 genome revealed remarkable variation in vir genes, and the presence of merozoite surface proteins (MSP) 3.6 and 3.7. Three dhfr and dhps drug resistance associated mutations are present in PvPAM, similar to those found in other Peruvian isolates. Mapping of publicly available South American whole genome sequencing (WGS) data to PvPAM resulted in significantly fewer variants and truncated reads compared to the use of PvP01 or PvW1 as reference genomes. To minimize the number of core genome variants in non-South American samples, PvW1 is most suited for Southeast Asian isolates, both PvPAM and PvW1 are suited for South Asian isolates, and PvPAM is recommended for African isolates. Interestingly, non-South American samples still contained the least subtelomeric variants when mapped to PvPAM, indicating high quality of the PvPAM subtelomeric regions. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that the PvPAM reference genome more accurately represents South American P. vivax isolates in comparison to PvP01 and PvW1. In addition, PvPAM has a high level of completeness, and contains a similar number of annotated genes as PvP01 or PvW1. The PvPAM genome therefore will be a valuable resource to improve future genomic analyses on P. vivax isolates from the South American continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katlijn De Meulenaere
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Bart Cuypers
- Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Dionicia Gamboa
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Kris Laukens
- Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Anna Rosanas-Urgell
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
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14
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Kundu P, Naskar D, McKie SJ, Dass S, Kanjee U, Introini V, Ferreira MU, Cicuta P, Duraisingh M, Deane JE, Rayner JC. The structure of a Plasmodium vivax Tryptophan Rich Antigen domain suggests a lipid binding function for a pan-Plasmodium multi-gene family. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5703. [PMID: 37709739 PMCID: PMC10502043 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40885-8] [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] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Tryptophan Rich Antigens (TRAgs) are encoded by a multi-gene family found in all Plasmodium species, but are significantly expanded in P. vivax and closely related parasites. We show that multiple P. vivax TRAgs are expressed on the merozoite surface and that one, PVP01_0000100 binds red blood cells with a strong preference for reticulocytes. Using X-ray crystallography, we solved the structure of the PVP01_0000100 C-terminal tryptophan rich domain, which defines the TRAg family, revealing a three-helical bundle that is conserved across Plasmodium and has structural homology with lipid-binding BAR domains involved in membrane remodelling. Biochemical assays confirm that the PVP01_0000100 C-terminal domain has lipid binding activity with preference for sulfatide, a glycosphingolipid present in the outer leaflet of plasma membranes. Deletion of the putative orthologue in P. knowlesi, PKNH_1300500, impacts invasion in reticulocytes, suggesting a role during this essential process. Together, this work defines an emerging molecular function for the Plasmodium TRAg family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasun Kundu
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Deboki Naskar
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shannon J McKie
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sheena Dass
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Usheer Kanjee
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Viola Introini
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marcelo U Ferreira
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Pietro Cicuta
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Manoj Duraisingh
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Janet E Deane
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Julian C Rayner
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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15
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Nicholas J, De SL, Thawornpan P, Brashear AM, Kolli SK, Subramani PA, Barnes SJ, Cui L, Chootong P, Ntumngia FB, Adams JH. Preliminary characterization of Plasmodium vivax sporozoite antigens as pre-erythrocytic vaccine candidates. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011598. [PMID: 37703302 PMCID: PMC10519608 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax pre-erythrocytic (PE) vaccine research has lagged far behind efforts to develop Plasmodium falciparum vaccines. There is a critical gap in our knowledge of PE antigen targets that can induce functionally inhibitory neutralizing antibody responses. To overcome this gap and guide the selection of potential PE vaccine candidates, we considered key characteristics such as surface exposure, essentiality to infectivity and liver stage development, expression as recombinant proteins, and functional immunogenicity. Selected P. vivax sporozoite antigens were surface sporozoite protein 3 (SSP3), sporozoite microneme protein essential for cell traversal (SPECT1), sporozoite surface protein essential for liver-stage development (SPELD), and M2 domain of MAEBL. Sequence analysis revealed little variation occurred in putative B-cell and T-cell epitopes of the PE candidates. Each antigen was tested for expression as refolded recombinant proteins using an established bacterial expression platform and only SPELD failed. The successfully expressed antigens were immunogenic in vaccinated laboratory mice and were positively reactive with serum antibodies of P. vivax-exposed residents living in an endemic region in Thailand. Vaccine immune antisera were tested for reactivity to native sporozoite proteins and for their potential vaccine efficacy using an in vitro inhibition of liver stage development assay in primary human hepatocytes quantified on day 6 post-infection by high content imaging analysis. The anti-PE sera produced significant inhibition of P. vivax sporozoite invasion and liver stage development. This report provides an initial characterization of potential new PE candidates for a future P. vivax vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Nicholas
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Sai Lata De
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Pongsakorn Thawornpan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Awtum M. Brashear
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Surendra Kumar Kolli
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Pradeep Annamalai Subramani
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Samantha J. Barnes
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Liwang Cui
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Patchanee Chootong
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Francis Babila Ntumngia
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - John H. Adams
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
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16
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Su X, Stadler RV, Xu F, Wu J. Malaria Genomics, Vaccine Development, and Microbiome. Pathogens 2023; 12:1061. [PMID: 37624021 PMCID: PMC10459703 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12081061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in malaria genetics and genomics have transformed many aspects of malaria research in areas of molecular evolution, epidemiology, transmission, host-parasite interaction, drug resistance, pathogenicity, and vaccine development. Here, in addition to introducing some background information on malaria parasite biology, parasite genetics/genomics, and genotyping methods, we discuss some applications of genetic and genomic approaches in vaccine development and in studying interactions with microbiota. Genetic and genomic data can be used to search for novel vaccine targets, design an effective vaccine strategy, identify protective antigens in a whole-organism vaccine, and evaluate the efficacy of a vaccine. Microbiota has been shown to influence disease outcomes and vaccine efficacy; studying the effects of microbiota in pathogenicity and immunity may provide information for disease control. Malaria genetics and genomics will continue to contribute greatly to many fields of malaria research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinzhuan Su
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA; (R.V.S.); (F.X.); (J.W.)
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17
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Kepple D, Ford CT, Williams J, Abagero B, Li S, Popovici J, Yewhalaw D, Lo E. Comparative transcriptomics reveal differential gene expression in Plasmodium vivax geographical isolates and implications on erythrocyte invasion mechanisms. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.16.528793. [PMID: 36824754 PMCID: PMC9949051 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.16.528793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax uses Duffy binding protein (PvDBP1) to bind to the Duffy Antigen-Chemokine Receptor (DARC) to invade human erythrocytes. Individuals who lack DARC expression (Duffy-negative) are thought to be resistance to P. vivax. In recent years, P. vivax malaria is becoming more prevalent in Africa with a portion of these cases detected in Duffy-negatives. Apart from DBP1, members of the reticulocyte binding protein (RBP) and tryptophan-rich antigen (TRAg) families may also play a role in erythrocyte invasion. While the transcriptomes of the Southeast Asian and South American P. vivax are well documented, the gene expression profile of P. vivax in Africa and more specifically the expression level of several erythrocyte binding gene candidates as compared to DBP1 are largely unknown. This paper characterized the first P. vivax transcriptome in Africa and compared with those from the Southeast Asian and South American isolates. The expression of 4,404 gene transcripts belong to 12 functional groups including 43 specific erythrocyte binding gene candidates were examined. Overall, there were 10-26% differences in the gene expression profile amongst the geographical isolates, with the Ethiopian and Cambodian P. vivax being most similar. Majority of the gene transcripts involved in protein transportation, housekeeping, and host interaction were highly transcribed in the Ethiopian P. vivax. Erythrocyte binding genes including PvRBP2a and PvRBP3 expressed six-fold higher than PvDBP1and 60-fold higher than PvEBP/DBP2. Other genes including PvRBP1a, PvMSP3.8, PvMSP3.9, PvTRAG2, PvTRAG14, and PvTRAG22 also showed relatively high expression. Differential expression was observed among geographical isolates, e.g., PvDBP1 and PvEBP/DBP2 were highly expressed in the Cambodian but not the Brazilian and Ethiopian isolates, whereas PvRBP2a and PvRBP2b showed higher expression in the Ethiopian and Cambodian than the Brazilian isolates. Compared to Pvs25, the standard biomarker for detecting female gametocytes, PvAP2-G (PVP01_1440800), GAP (PVP01_1403000), and Pvs47 (PVP01_1208000) were highly expressed across geographical samples. These findings provide an important baseline for future comparisons of P. vivax transcriptomes from Duffy-negative infections and highlight potential biomarkers for improved gametocyte detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kepple
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Colby T. Ford
- Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
- School of Data Science, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Jonathan Williams
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Beka Abagero
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Shaoyu Li
- Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Jean Popovici
- Malaria Research Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
- School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Eugenia Lo
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
- School of Data Science, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
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18
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Liu Y, Zhang T, Chen SB, Cui YB, Wang SQ, Zhang HW, Shen HM, Chen JH. Retrospective analysis of Plasmodium vivax genomes from a pre-elimination China inland population in the 2010s. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1071689. [PMID: 36846776 PMCID: PMC9948256 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1071689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction In malaria-free countries, imported cases are challenging because interconnections with neighboring countries with higher transmission rates increase the risk of parasite reintroduction. Establishing a genetic database for rapidly identifying malaria importation or reintroduction is crucial in addressing these challenges. This study aimed to examine genomic epidemiology during the pre-elimination stage by retrospectively reporting whole-genome sequence variation of 10 Plasmodium vivax isolates from inland China. Methods The samples were collected during the last few inland outbreaks from 2011 to 2012 when China implemented a malaria control plan. After next-generation sequencing, we completed a genetic analysis of the population, explored the geographic specificity of the samples, and examined clustering of selection pressures. We also scanned genes for signals of positive selection. Results China's inland populations were highly structured compared to the surrounding area, with a single potential ancestor. Additionally, we identified genes under selection and evaluated the selection pressure on drug-resistance genes. In the inland population, positive selection was detected in some critical gene families, including sera, msp3, and vir. Meanwhile, we identified selection signatures in drug resistance, such as ugt, krs1, and crt, and noticed that the ratio of wild-type dhps and dhfr-ts increased after China banned sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for decades. Discussion Our data provides an opportunity to investigate the molecular epidemiology of pre-elimination inland malaria populations, which exhibited lower selection pressure on invasion and immune evasion genes than neighbouring areas, but increased drug resistance in low transmission settings. Our results revealed that the inland population was severely fragmented with low relatedness among infections, despite a higher incidence of multiclonal infections, suggesting that superinfection or co-transmission events are rare in low-endemic circumstances. We identified selective signatures of resistance and found that the proportion of susceptible isolates fluctuated in response to the prohibition of specific drugs. This finding is consistent with the alterations in medication strategies during the malaria elimination campaign in inland China. Such findings could provide a genetic basis for future population studies, assessing changes in other pre-elimination countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, China,National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Shanghai, China,World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China,National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China,Henan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei, China
| | - Shen-Bo Chen
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, China,National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Shanghai, China,World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China,National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan-Bing Cui
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, China,National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Shanghai, China,World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China,National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Shu-Qi Wang
- Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei, China
| | - Hong-Wei Zhang
- Henan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Hai-Mo Shen
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, China,National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Shanghai, China,World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China,National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China,Hai-Mo Shen, ✉
| | - Jun-Hu Chen
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Shanghai, China,National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC) Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Shanghai, China,World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China,National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China,School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China,*Correspondence: Jun-Hu Chen, ✉
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19
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Ibrahim A, Manko E, Dombrowski JG, Campos M, Benavente ED, Nolder D, Sutherland CJ, Nosten F, Fernandez D, Vélez-Tobón G, Castaño AT, Aguiar ACC, Pereira DB, da Silva Santos S, Suarez-Mutis M, Di Santi SM, Regina de Souza Baptista A, Dantas Machado RL, Marinho CR, Clark TG, Campino S. Population-based genomic study of Plasmodium vivax malaria in seven Brazilian states and across South America. LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. AMERICAS 2023; 18:100420. [PMID: 36844008 PMCID: PMC9950661 DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2022.100420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Background Brazil is a unique and understudied setting for malaria, with complex foci of transmission associated with human and environmental conditions. An understanding of the population genomic diversity of P. vivax parasites across Brazil can support malaria control strategies. Methods Through whole genome sequencing of P. vivax isolates across 7 Brazilian states, we use population genomic approaches to compare genetic diversity within country (n = 123), continent (6 countries, n = 315) and globally (26 countries, n = 885). Findings We confirm that South American isolates are distinct, have more ancestral populations than the other global regions, with differentiating mutations in genes under selective pressure linked to antimalarial drugs (pvmdr1, pvdhfr-ts) and mosquito vectors (pvcrmp3, pvP45/48, pvP47). We demonstrate Brazil as a distinct parasite population, with signals of selection including ABC transporter (PvABCI3) and PHIST exported proteins. Interpretation Brazil has a complex population structure, with evidence of P. simium infections and Amazonian parasites separating into multiple clusters. Overall, our work provides the first Brazil-wide analysis of P. vivax population structure and identifies important mutations, which can inform future research and control measures. Funding AI is funded by an MRC LiD PhD studentship. TGC is funded by the Medical Research Council (Grant no. MR/M01360X/1, MR/N010469/1, MR/R025576/1, MR/R020973/1 and MR/X005895/1). SC is funded by Medical Research Council UK grants (MR/M01360X/1, MR/R025576/1, MR/R020973/1 and MR/X005895/1) and Bloomsbury SET (ref. CCF17-7779). FN is funded by The Shloklo Malaria Research Unit - part of the Mahidol Oxford Research Unit, supported by the Wellcome Trust (Grant no. 220211). ARSB is funded by São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP (Grant no. 2002/09546-1). RLDM is funded by Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - CNPq (Grant no. 302353/2003-8 and 471605/2011-5); CRFM is funded by FAPESP (Grant no. 2020/06747-4) and CNPq (Grant no. 302917/2019-5 and 408636/2018-1); JGD is funded by FAPESP fellowships (2016/13465-0 and 2019/12068-5) and CNPq (Grant no. 409216/2018-6).
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Ibrahim
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Emilia Manko
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jamille G. Dombrowski
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University
of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mónica Campos
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ernest Diez Benavente
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Debbie Nolder
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Public Health England Malaria Reference Laboratory, London School of
Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Colin J. Sutherland
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Public Health England Malaria Reference Laboratory, London School of
Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Francois Nosten
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research
Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Tak,
Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of
Clinical Medicine Research Building, University of Oxford Old Road Campus,
Oxford, UK
| | - Diana Fernandez
- Grupo Malaria, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Antioquia,
Colombia
| | - Gabriel Vélez-Tobón
- Grupo Malaria, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Antioquia,
Colombia
| | | | | | | | - Simone da Silva Santos
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Institute Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz-
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Martha Suarez-Mutis
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Institute Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz-
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Andrea Regina de Souza Baptista
- Centro de Investigação de Microrganismos – CIM, Departamento de
Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense,
Brazil
| | - Ricardo Luiz Dantas Machado
- Centro de Investigação de Microrganismos – CIM, Departamento de
Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense,
Brazil
| | - Claudio R.F. Marinho
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University
of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Taane G. Clark
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Faculty of Epidemiology & Population Health, London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Susana Campino
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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20
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Hazzard B, Sá JM, Ellis AC, Pascini TV, Amin S, Wellems TE, Serre D. Long read single cell RNA sequencing reveals the isoform diversity of Plasmodium vivax transcripts. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010991. [PMID: 36525464 PMCID: PMC9803293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax infections often consist of heterogenous populations of parasites at different developmental stages and with distinct transcriptional profiles, which complicates gene expression analyses. The advent of single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) enabled disentangling this complexity and has provided robust and stage-specific characterization of Plasmodium gene expression. However, scRNA-seq information is typically derived from the end of each mRNA molecule (usually the 3'-end) and therefore fails to capture the diversity in transcript isoforms documented in bulk RNA-seq data. Here, we describe the sequencing of scRNA-seq libraries using Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) chemistry to characterize full-length Plasmodium vivax transcripts from single cell parasites. Our results show that many P. vivax genes are transcribed into multiple isoforms, primarily through variations in untranslated region (UTR) length or splicing, and that the expression of many isoforms is developmentally regulated. Our findings demonstrate that long read sequencing can be used to characterize mRNA molecules at the single cell level and provides an additional resource to better understand the regulation of gene expression throughout the Plasmodium life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany Hazzard
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Juliana M. Sá
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Angela C. Ellis
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tales V. Pascini
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shuchi Amin
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Thomas E. Wellems
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - David Serre
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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21
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Real E, Nardella F, Scherf A, Mancio-Silva L. Repurposing of Plasmodium falciparum var genes beyond the blood stage. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 70:102207. [PMID: 36183663 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
A commonly observed survival strategy in protozoan parasites is the sequential expression of clonally variant-surface antigens to avoid elimination by the host's immune response. In malaria-causing P. falciparum, the immunovariant erythrocyte-membrane protein-1 (PfEMP1) adhesin family, encoded by var genes, is responsible for both antigenic variation and cytoadherence of infected erythrocytes to the microvasculature. Until recently, the biological function of these variant genes was believed to be restricted to intraerythrocytic developmental stages. With the advent of new technologies, var gene expression has been confirmed in transmission and pre-erythrocytic stages. Here, we discuss how repurposing of var gene expression beyond chronic blood-stage infection may be critical for successful transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliana Real
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Unité de Biologie des Interactions Hôte-Parasite, 25 Rue du Dr Roux, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Flore Nardella
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Unité de Biologie des Interactions Hôte-Parasite, 25 Rue du Dr Roux, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Artur Scherf
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Unité de Biologie des Interactions Hôte-Parasite, 25 Rue du Dr Roux, F-75015 Paris, France.
| | - Liliana Mancio-Silva
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Unité de Biologie des Interactions Hôte-Parasite, 25 Rue du Dr Roux, F-75015 Paris, France.
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22
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Development and Optimization of a Selective Whole-Genome Amplification To Study Plasmodium ovale Spp. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0072622. [PMID: 36098524 PMCID: PMC9602584 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00726-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Since 2010, the human-infecting malaria parasite Plasmodium ovale spp. has been divided into two genetically distinct species, P. ovale wallikeri and P. ovale curtisi. In recent years, application of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to P. ovale spp. allowed to get a better understanding of its evolutionary history and discover some specific genetic patterns. Nevertheless, WGS data from P. ovale spp. are still scarce due to several drawbacks, including a high level of human DNA contamination in blood samples, infections with commonly low parasite density, and the lack of robust in vitro culture. Here, we developed two selective whole-genome amplification (sWGA) protocols that were tested on six P. ovale wallikeri and five P. ovale curtisi mono-infection clinical samples. Blood leukodepletion by a cellulose-based filtration was used as the gold standard for intraspecies comparative genomics with sWGA. We also demonstrated the importance of genomic DNA preincubation with the endonuclease McrBC to optimize P. ovale spp. sWGA. We obtained high-quality WGS data with more than 80% of the genome covered by ≥5 reads for each sample and identified more than 5,000 unique single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) per species. We also identified some amino acid changes in pocdhfr and powdhfr for which similar mutations in P. falciparum and P. vivax are associated with pyrimethamine or cycloguanil resistance. In conclusion, we developed two sWGA protocols for P. ovale spp. WGS that will help to design much-needed large-scale P. ovale spp. population studies. IMPORTANCE Plasmodium ovale spp. has the ability to cause relapse, defined as recurring asexual parasitemia originating from liver-dormant forms. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data are of importance to identify putative molecular markers associated with relapse or other virulence mechanisms. Due to low parasitemia encountered in P. ovale spp. infections and no in vitro culture available, WGS of P. ovale spp. is challenging. Blood leukodepletion by filtration has been used, but no technique exists yet to increase the quantity of parasite DNA over human DNA when starting from genomic DNA extracted from whole blood. Here, we demonstrated that selective whole-genome amplification (sWGA) is an easy-to-use protocol to obtain high-quality WGS data for both P. ovale spp. species from unprocessed blood samples. The new method will facilitate P. ovale spp. population genomic studies.
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23
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Mohring F, van Schalkwyk DA, Henrici RC, Blasco B, Leroy D, Sutherland CJ, Moon RW. Cation ATPase (ATP4) Orthologue Replacement in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium knowlesi Reveals Species-Specific Responses to ATP4-Targeting Drugs. mBio 2022; 13:e0117822. [PMID: 36190127 PMCID: PMC9600963 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01178-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Several unrelated classes of antimalarial compounds developed against Plasmodium falciparum target a parasite-specific P-type ATP-dependent Na+ pump, PfATP4. We have previously shown that other malaria parasite species infecting humans are less susceptible to these compounds. Here, we generated a series of transgenic Plasmodium knowlesi orthologue replacement (OR) lines in which the endogenous pkatp4 locus was replaced by a recodonized P. knowlesi atp4 (pkatp4) coding region or the orthologous coding region from P. falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale subsp. curtisi, or Plasmodium vivax. Each OR transgenic line displayed a similar growth pattern to the parental P. knowlesi line. We found significant orthologue-specific differences in parasite susceptibility to three chemically unrelated ATP4 inhibitors, but not to comparator drugs, among the P. knowlesi OR lines. The PfATP4OR transgenic line of P. knowlesi was significantly more susceptible than our control PkATP4OR line to three ATP4 inhibitors: cipargamin, PA21A092, and SJ733. The PvATP4OR and PmATP4OR lines were similarly susceptible to the control PkATP4OR line, but the PocATP4OR line was significantly less susceptible to all ATP4 inhibitors than the PkATP4OR line. Cipargamin-induced inhibition of Na+ efflux was also significantly greater with the P. falciparum orthologue of ATP4. This confirms that species-specific susceptibility differences previously observed in ex vivo studies of human isolates are partly or wholly enshrined in the primary amino acid sequences of the respective ATP4 orthologues and highlights the need to monitor efficacy of investigational malaria drugs against multiple species. P. knowlesi is now established as an important in vitro model for studying drug susceptibility in non-falciparum malaria parasites. IMPORTANCE Effective drugs are vital to minimize the illness and death caused by malaria. Development of new drugs becomes ever more urgent as drug resistance emerges. Among promising compounds now being developed to treat malaria are several unrelated molecules that each inhibit the same protein in the malaria parasite-ATP4. Here, we exploited the genetic tractability of P. knowlesi to replace its own ATP4 genes with orthologues from five human-infective species to understand the drug susceptibility differences among these parasites. We previously estimated the susceptibility to ATP4-targeting drugs of each species using clinical samples from malaria patients. These estimates closely matched those of the corresponding "hybrid" P. knowlesi parasites carrying introduced ATP4 genes. Thus, species-specific ATP4 inhibitor efficacy is directly determined by the sequence of the gene. Our novel approach to understanding cross-species susceptibility/resistance can strongly support the effort to develop antimalarials that effectively target all human malaria parasite species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Mohring
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Donelly A. van Schalkwyk
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ryan C. Henrici
- Center for Global Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Didier Leroy
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Colin J. Sutherland
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- UK Health Security Agency Malaria Reference Laboratory, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robert W. Moon
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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24
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De Meulenaere K, Prajapati SK, Villasis E, Cuypers B, Kattenberg JH, Kasian B, Laman M, Robinson LJ, Gamboa D, Laukens K, Rosanas-Urgell A. Band 3–mediated Plasmodium vivax invasion is associated with transcriptional variation in PvTRAg genes. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1011692. [PMID: 36250048 PMCID: PMC9563252 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1011692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Plasmodium vivax reticulocyte invasion process is still poorly understood, with only a few receptor-ligand interactions identified to date. Individuals with the Southeast Asian ovalocytosis (SAO) phenotype have a deletion in the band 3 protein on the surface of erythrocytes, and are reported to have a lower incidence of clinical P. vivax malaria. Based on this observation, band 3 has been put forward as a receptor for P. vivax invasion, although direct proof is still lacking. In this study, we combined functional ex vivo invasion assays and transcriptome sequencing to uncover a band 3–mediated invasion pathway in P. vivax and potential band 3 ligands. Invasion by P. vivax field isolates was 67%-71% lower in SAO reticulocytes compared with non-SAO reticulocytes. Reticulocyte invasion was decreased by 40% and 27%-31% when blocking with an anti-band 3 polyclonal antibody and a PvTRAg38 peptide, respectively. To identify new band 3 receptor candidates, we mRNA-sequenced schizont-stage isolates used in the invasion assays, and observed high transcriptional variability in multigene and invasion-related families. Transcriptomes of isolates with low or high dependency on band 3 for invasion were compared by differential expression analysis, which produced a list of band 3 ligand candidates with high representation of PvTRAg genes. Our ex vivo invasion assays have demonstrated that band 3 is a P. vivax invasion receptor and confirm previous in vitro studies showing binding between PvTRAg38 and band 3, although the lower and variable inhibition levels observed suggest the involvement of other ligands. By coupling transcriptomes and invasion phenotypes from the same isolates, we identified a list of band 3 ligand candidates, of which the overrepresented PvTRAg genes are the most promising for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katlijn De Meulenaere
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Anna Rosanas-Urgell, ; Katlijn De Meulenaere,
| | - Surendra Kumar Prajapati
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Elizabeth Villasis
- Laboratorio de Malaria, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Bart Cuypers
- Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Bernadine Kasian
- Vector-borne Diseases Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Moses Laman
- Vector-borne Diseases Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Leanne J. Robinson
- Vector-borne Diseases Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Health Security and Disease Elimination, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Dionicia Gamboa
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Kris Laukens
- Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Anna Rosanas-Urgell
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Anna Rosanas-Urgell, ; Katlijn De Meulenaere,
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Brashear AM, Cui L. Population genomics in neglected malaria parasites. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:984394. [PMID: 36160257 PMCID: PMC9493318 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.984394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria elimination includes neglected human malaria parasites Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale spp., and Plasmodium malariae. Biological features such as association with low-density infection and the formation of hypnozoites responsible for relapse make their elimination challenging. Studies on these parasites rely primarily on clinical samples due to the lack of long-term culture techniques. With improved methods to enrich parasite DNA from clinical samples, whole-genome sequencing of the neglected malaria parasites has gained increasing popularity. Population genomics of more than 2200 P. vivax global isolates has improved our knowledge of parasite biology and host-parasite interactions, identified vaccine targets and potential drug resistance markers, and provided a new way to track parasite migration and introduction and monitor the evolutionary response of local populations to elimination efforts. Here, we review advances in population genomics for neglected malaria parasites, discuss how the rich genomic information is being used to understand parasite biology and epidemiology, and explore opportunities for the applications of malaria genomic data in malaria elimination practice.
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26
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Kattenberg JH, Nguyen HV, Nguyen HL, Sauve E, Nguyen NTH, Chopo-Pizarro A, Trimarsanto H, Monsieurs P, Guetens P, Nguyen XX, Esbroeck MV, Auburn S, Nguyen BTH, Rosanas-Urgell A. Novel highly-multiplexed AmpliSeq targeted assay for Plasmodium vivax genetic surveillance use cases at multiple geographical scales. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:953187. [PMID: 36034708 PMCID: PMC9403277 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.953187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the power of genetic surveillance tools has been acknowledged widely, there is an urgent need in malaria endemic countries for feasible and cost-effective tools to implement in national malaria control programs (NMCPs) that can generate evidence to guide malaria control and elimination strategies, especially in the case of Plasmodium vivax. Several genetic surveillance applications (‘use cases’) have been identified to align research, technology development, and public health efforts, requiring different types of molecular markers. Here we present a new highly-multiplexed deep sequencing assay (Pv AmpliSeq). The assay targets the 33-SNP vivaxGEN-geo panel for country-level classification, and a newly designed 42-SNP within-country barcode for analysis of parasite dynamics in Vietnam and 11 putative drug resistance genes in a highly multiplexed NGS protocol with easy workflow, applicable for many different genetic surveillance use cases. The Pv AmpliSeq assay was validated using: 1) isolates from travelers and migrants in Belgium, and 2) routine collections of the national malaria control program at sentinel sites in Vietnam. The assay targets 229 amplicons and achieved a high depth of coverage (mean 595.7 ± 481) and high accuracy (mean error-rate of 0.013 ± 0.007). P. vivax parasites could be characterized from dried blood spots with a minimum of 5 parasites/µL and 10% of minority-clones. The assay achieved good spatial specificity for between-country prediction of origin using the 33-SNP vivaxGEN-geo panel that targets rare alleles specific for certain countries and regions. A high resolution for within-country diversity in Vietnam was achieved using the designed 42-SNP within-country barcode that targets common alleles (median MAF 0.34, range 0.01-0.49. Many variants were detected in (putative) drug resistance genes, with different predominant haplotypes in the pvmdr1 and pvcrt genes in different provinces in Vietnam. The capacity of the assay for high resolution identity-by-descent (IBD) analysis was demonstrated and identified a high rate of shared ancestry within Gia Lai Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, as well as between the coastal province of Binh Thuan and Lam Dong. Our approach performed well in geographically differentiating isolates at multiple spatial scales, detecting variants in putative resistance genes, and can be easily adjusted to suit the needs in other settings in a country or region. We prioritize making this tool available to researchers and NMCPs in endemic countries to increase ownership and ensure data usage for decision-making and malaria policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Helena Kattenberg
- Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Johanna Helena Kattenberg, ; Anna Rosanas-Urgell,
| | - Hong Van Nguyen
- Department of Clinical Research, National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Hieu Luong Nguyen
- Department of Clinical Research, National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Erin Sauve
- Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ngoc Thi Hong Nguyen
- Department of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Ana Chopo-Pizarro
- Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Hidayat Trimarsanto
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Pieter Monsieurs
- Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pieter Guetens
- Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Xa Xuan Nguyen
- Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Marjan Van Esbroeck
- Clinical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
- Mahidol‐Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Binh Thi Huong Nguyen
- Department of Clinical Research, National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Anna Rosanas-Urgell
- Biomedical Sciences Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Johanna Helena Kattenberg, ; Anna Rosanas-Urgell,
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27
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Park JH, Kim MH, Sutanto E, Na SW, Kim MJ, Yeom JS, Nyunt MH, Abbas Elfaki MM, Abdel Hamid MM, Cha SH, Alemu SG, Sriprawat K, Anstey NM, Grigg MJ, Barber BE, William T, Gao Q, Liu Y, Pearson RD, Price RN, Nosten F, Yoon SI, No JH, Han ET, Auburn S, Russell B, Han JH. Geographical distribution and genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax reticulocyte binding protein 1a correlates with patient antigenicity. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010492. [PMID: 35737709 PMCID: PMC9258880 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread cause of human malaria. Recent reports of drug resistant vivax malaria and the challenge of eradicating the dormant liver forms increase the importance of vaccine development against this relapsing disease. P. vivax reticulocyte binding protein 1a (PvRBP1a) is a potential vaccine candidate, which is involved in red cell tropism, a crucial step in the merozoite invasion of host reticulocytes. As part of the initial evaluation of the PvRBP1a vaccine candidate, we investigated its genetic diversity and antigenicity using geographically diverse clinical isolates. We analysed pvrbp1a genetic polymorphisms using 202 vivax clinical isolates from six countries. Pvrbp1a was separated into six regions based on specific domain features, sequence conserved/polymorphic regions, and the reticulocyte binding like (RBL) domains. In the fragmented gene sequence analysis, PvRBP1a region II (RII) and RIII (head and tail structure homolog, 152-625 aa.) showed extensive polymorphism caused by random point mutations. The haplotype network of these polymorphic regions was classified into three clusters that converged to independent populations. Antigenicity screening was performed using recombinant proteins PvRBP1a-N (157-560 aa.) and PvRBP1a-C (606-962 aa.), which contained head and tail structure region and sequence conserved region, respectively. Sensitivity against PvRBP1a-N (46.7%) was higher than PvRBP1a-C (17.8%). PvRBP1a-N was reported as a reticulocyte binding domain and this study identified a linear epitope with moderate antigenicity, thus an attractive domain for merozoite invasion-blocking vaccine development. However, our study highlights that a global PvRBP1a-based vaccine design needs to overcome several difficulties due to three distinct genotypes and low antigenicity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Hoon Park
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Hee Kim
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Edwin Sutanto
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Seok-Won Na
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Jae Kim
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Joon Sup Yeom
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Mohammed Mohieldien Abbas Elfaki
- Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jizan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muzamil Mahdi Abdel Hamid
- Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Seok Ho Cha
- Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sisay Getachew Alemu
- College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Jimma Road, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Bioreliance, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kanlaya Sriprawat
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand
| | - Nicholas M. Anstey
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Matthew J. Grigg
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
- Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Bridget E. Barber
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
- Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Timothy William
- Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Sabah, Malaysia
- Clinical Research Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sabah, Malaysia
- Gleneagles Hospital, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Qi Gao
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China
| | - Yaobao Liu
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China
- School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | | | - 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 Research Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Francois Nosten
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine Research Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sung-Il Yoon
- Division of Biomedical Convergence, College of Biomedical Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo Hwan No
- Host-Parasite Research Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Taek Han
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sarah Auburn
- 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 Research Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Bruce Russell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Jin-Hee Han
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
"The Primate Malarias" book has been a uniquely important resource for multiple generations of scientists, since its debut in 1971, and remains pertinent to the present day. Indeed, nonhuman primates (NHPs) have been instrumental for major breakthroughs in basic and pre-clinical research on malaria for over 50 years. Research involving NHPs have provided critical insights and data that have been essential for malaria research on many parasite species, drugs, vaccines, pathogenesis, and transmission, leading to improved clinical care and advancing research goals for malaria control, elimination, and eradication. Whilst most malaria scientists over the decades have been studying Plasmodium falciparum, with NHP infections, in clinical studies with humans, or using in vitro culture or rodent model systems, others have been dedicated to advancing research on Plasmodium vivax, as well as on phylogenetically related simian species, including Plasmodium cynomolgi, Plasmodium coatneyi, and Plasmodium knowlesi. In-depth study of these four phylogenetically related species over the years has spawned the design of NHP longitudinal infection strategies for gathering information about ongoing infections, which can be related to human infections. These Plasmodium-NHP infection model systems are reviewed here, with emphasis on modern systems biological approaches to studying longitudinal infections, pathogenesis, immunity, and vaccines. Recent discoveries capitalizing on NHP longitudinal infections include an advanced understanding of chronic infections, relapses, anaemia, and immune memory. With quickly emerging new technological advances, more in-depth research and mechanistic discoveries can be anticipated on these and additional critical topics, including hypnozoite biology, antigenic variation, gametocyte transmission, bone marrow dysfunction, and loss of uninfected RBCs. New strategies and insights published by the Malaria Host-Pathogen Interaction Center (MaHPIC) are recapped here along with a vision that stresses the importance of educating future experts well trained in utilizing NHP infection model systems for the pursuit of innovative, effective interventions against malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary R Galinski
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Emory National Primate Research Center (Yerkes National Primate Research Center), Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Kent RS, Briggs EM, Colon BL, Alvarez C, Silva Pereira S, De Niz M. Paving the Way: Contributions of Big Data to Apicomplexan and Kinetoplastid Research. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:900878. [PMID: 35734575 PMCID: PMC9207352 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.900878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the age of big data an important question is how to ensure we make the most out of the resources we generate. In this review, we discuss the major methods used in Apicomplexan and Kinetoplastid research to produce big datasets and advance our understanding of Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, Trypanosoma and Leishmania biology. We debate the benefits and limitations of the current technologies, and propose future advancements that may be key to improving our use of these techniques. Finally, we consider the difficulties the field faces when trying to make the most of the abundance of data that has already been, and will continue to be, generated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn S. Kent
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Emma M. Briggs
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice L. Colon
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Catalina Alvarez
- de Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sara Silva Pereira
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mariana De Niz
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Mariana De Niz,
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30
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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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31
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Adam I, Alam MS, Alemu S, Amaratunga C, Amato R, Andrianaranjaka V, Anstey NM, Aseffa A, Ashley E, Assefa A, Auburn S, Barber BE, Barry A, Batista Pereira D, Cao J, Chau NH, Chotivanich K, Chu C, Dondorp AM, Drury E, Echeverry DF, Erko B, Espino F, Fairhurst R, Faiz A, Fernanda Villegas M, Gao Q, Golassa L, Goncalves S, Grigg MJ, Hamedi Y, Hien TT, Htut Y, Johnson KJ, Karunaweera N, Khan W, Krudsood S, Kwiatkowski DP, Lacerda M, Ley B, Lim P, Liu Y, Llanos-Cuentas A, Lon C, Lopera-Mesa T, Marfurt J, Michon P, Miotto O, Mohammed R, Mueller I, Namaik-larp C, Newton PN, Nguyen TN, Nosten F, Noviyanti R, Pava Z, Pearson RD, Petros B, Phyo AP, Price RN, Pukrittayakamee S, Rahim AG, Randrianarivelojosia M, Rayner JC, Rumaseb A, Siegel SV, Simpson VJ, Thriemer K, Tobon-Castano A, Trimarsanto H, Urbano Ferreira M, Vélez ID, Wangchuk S, Wellems TE, White NJ, William T, Yasnot MF, Yilma D. An open dataset of Plasmodium vivax genome variation in 1,895 worldwide samples. Wellcome Open Res 2022; 7:136. [PMID: 35651694 PMCID: PMC9127374 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17795.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
This report describes the MalariaGEN Pv4 dataset, a new release of curated genome variation data on 1,895 samples of Plasmodium vivax collected at 88 worldwide locations between 2001 and 2017. It includes 1,370 new samples contributed by MalariaGEN and VivaxGEN partner studies in addition to previously published samples from these and other sources. We provide genotype calls at over 4.5 million variable positions including over 3 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as well as short indels and tandem duplications. This enlarged dataset highlights major compartments of parasite population structure, with clear differentiation between Africa, Latin America, Oceania, Western Asia and different parts of Southeast Asia. Each sample has been classified for drug resistance to sulfadoxine, pyrimethamine and mefloquine based on known markers at the dhfr, dhps and mdr1 loci. The prevalence of all of these resistance markers was much higher in Southeast Asia and Oceania than elsewhere. This open resource of analysis-ready genome variation data from the MalariaGEN and VivaxGEN networks is driven by our collective goal to advance research into the complex biology of P. vivax and to accelerate genomic surveillance for malaria control and elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ishag Adam
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Mohammad Shafiul Alam
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sisay Alemu
- Armauer Hansen Research Unit (AHRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,MilliporeSigma (Bioreliance), Rockville, USA
| | - Chanaki Amaratunga
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, Bethesda, USA
| | | | | | - Nicholas M Anstey
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Abraham Aseffa
- Armauer Hansen Research Unit (AHRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Elizabeth Ashley
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Sarah Auburn
- 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 Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Mahidol‐Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Bridget E Barber
- Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Australia,QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Alyssa Barry
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, Australia,Deakin University, Geelong, Australia,Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Jun Cao
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China,Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Nguyen Hoang Chau
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | | | - Cindy Chu
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
| | - Arjen M. Dondorp
- Mahidol‐Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Diego F. Echeverry
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Berhanu Erko
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Fe Espino
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department of Health, Manila, Philippines
| | | | | | | | - Qi Gao
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China
| | - Lemu Golassa
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Matthew J Grigg
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Yaghoob Hamedi
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Tran Tinh Hien
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Ye Htut
- Department of Medical Research, Yangon, Myanmar
| | | | - Nadira Karunaweera
- University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka,School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, USA
| | - Wasif Khan
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | | | - Marcus Lacerda
- Instituto de Pesquisa Clínica Carlos Borborema, Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr Heitor Vieira Dourado, Manaus, Brazil,Instituto Leônidas & Maria Deane, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Benedikt Ley
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Pharath Lim
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, Bethesda, USA,Parsons Corporation, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, USA
| | - Yaobao Liu
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China,Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | | | - Chanthap Lon
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | | | - Jutta Marfurt
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | | | - Olivo Miotto
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK,Mahidol‐Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Rezika Mohammed
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, Australia
| | | | - Paul N Newton
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Thuy-Nhien Nguyen
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - 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
| | | | - Zuleima Pava
- Centro Internacionale de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Medicas, Cali, Colombia
| | | | | | - Aung P Phyo
- Mahidol‐Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand,Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - 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 Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Mahidol‐Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Awab Ghulam Rahim
- Nangarhar Medical Faculty, Nangarhar University, Ministry of Higher Education, Jalalabad, Afghanistan
| | - Milijaona Randrianarivelojosia
- Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar,Universités d'Antananarivo et de Mahajanga, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Julian C Rayner
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Angela Rumaseb
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | | | | | - Kamala Thriemer
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | | | | | - Marcelo Urbano Ferreira
- Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil,Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Sonam Wangchuk
- Royal Center for Disease Control, Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Thimphu, Bhutan
| | - Thomas E Wellems
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, Bethesda, USA
| | - Nicholas J White
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Mahidol‐Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Timothy William
- Clinical Research Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sabah, Malaysia,Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Maria F Yasnot
- Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas y Biomédicas de Córdoba-GIMBIC, Universidad de Córdoba, Monteria, Colombia
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PMRT1, a
Plasmodium
-Specific Parasite Plasma Membrane Transporter, Is Essential for Asexual and Sexual Blood Stage Development. mBio 2022; 13:e0062322. [PMID: 35404116 PMCID: PMC9040750 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00623-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum
-infected erythrocytes possess multiple compartments with designated membranes. Transporter proteins embedded in these membranes not only facilitate movement of nutrients, metabolites, and other molecules between these compartments, but also are common therapeutic targets and can confer antimalarial drug resistance.
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33
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Ford A, Kepple D, Williams J, Kolesar G, Ford CT, Abebe A, Golassa L, Janies DA, Yewhalaw D, Lo E. Gene Polymorphisms Among Plasmodium vivax Geographical Isolates and the Potential as New Biomarkers for Gametocyte Detection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:789417. [PMID: 35096643 PMCID: PMC8793628 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.789417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The unique biological features of Plasmodium vivax not only make it difficult to control but also to eliminate. For the transmission of the malaria parasite from infected human to the vector, gametocytes play a major role. The transmission potential of a malarial infection is inferred based on microscopic detection of gametocytes and molecular screening of genes in the female gametocytes. Microscopy-based detection methods could grossly underestimate the reservoirs of infection as gametocytes may occur as submicroscopic or as micro- or macro-gametocytes. The identification of genes that are highly expressed and polymorphic in male and female gametocytes is critical for monitoring changes not only in their relative proportions but also the composition of gametocyte clones contributing to transmission over time. Recent transcriptomic study revealed two distinct clusters of highly correlated genes expressed in the P. vivax gametocytes, indicating that the male and female terminal gametocytogeneses are independently regulated. However, the detective power of these genes is unclear. In this study, we compared genetic variations of 15 and 11 genes expressed, respectively, in the female and male gametocytes among P. vivax isolates from Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. Further, we constructed phylogenetic trees to determine the resolution power and clustering patterns of gametocyte clones. As expected, Pvs25 (PVP01_0616100) and Pvs16 (PVP01_0305600) expressed in the female gametocytes were highly conserved in all geographical isolates. In contrast, genes including 6-cysteine protein Pvs230 (PVP01_0415800) and upregulated in late gametocytes ULG8 (PVP01_1452800) expressed in the female gametocytes, as well as two CPW-WPC family proteins (PVP01_1215900 and PVP01_1320100) expressed in the male gametocytes indicated considerably high nucleotide and haplotype diversity among isolates. Parasite samples expressed in male and female gametocyte genes were observed in separate phylogenetic clusters and likely represented distinct gametocyte clones. Compared to Pvs25, Pvs230 (PVP01_0415800) and a CPW-WPC family protein (PVP01_0904300) showed higher expression in a subset of Ethiopian P. vivax samples. Thus, Pvs230, ULG8, and CPW-WPC family proteins including PVP01_0904300, PVP01_1215900, and PVP01_1320100 could potentially be used as novel biomarkers for detecting both sexes of P. vivax gametocytes in low-density infections and estimating transmission reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Ford
- Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Daniel Kepple
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Jonathan Williams
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Gabrielle Kolesar
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Colby T Ford
- Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, United States.,School of Data Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Abnet Abebe
- Department of Parasitology, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Lemu Golassa
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Daniel A Janies
- Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Tropical and Infectious Disease Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.,School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Eugenia Lo
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, United States.,School of Data Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
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34
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Adderley J, Doerig C. Comparative analysis of the kinomes of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and their host Homo sapiens. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:237. [PMID: 35346035 PMCID: PMC8960227 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08457-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Novel antimalarials should be effective across all species of malaria parasites that infect humans, especially the two species that bear the most impact, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Protein kinases encoded by pathogens, as well as host kinases required for survival of intracellular pathogens, carry considerable potential as targets for antimalarial intervention (Adderley et al. Trends Parasitol 37:508–524, 2021; Wei et al. Cell Rep Med 2:100423, 2021). To date, no comprehensive P. vivax kinome assembly has been conducted; and the P. falciparum kinome, first assembled in 2004, requires an update. The present study, aimed to fill these gaps, utilises a recently published structurally-validated multiple sequence alignment (MSA) of the human kinome (Modi et al. Sci Rep 9:19790, 2019). This MSA is used as a scaffold to assist the alignment of all protein kinase sequences from P. falciparum and P. vivax, and (where possible) their assignment to specific kinase groups/families. Results We were able to assign six P. falciparum previously classified as OPK or ‘orphans’ (i.e. with no clear phylogenetic relation to any of the established ePK groups) to one of the aforementioned ePK groups. Direct phylogenetic comparison established that despite an overall high level of similarity between the P. falciparum and P. vivax kinomes, which will help in selecting targets for intervention, there are differences that may underlie the biological specificities of these species. Furthermore, we highlight a number of Plasmodium kinases that have a surprisingly high level of similarity with their human counterparts and therefore not well suited as targets for drug discovery. Conclusions Direct comparison of the kinomes of Homo sapiens, P. falciparum and P. vivax sheds additional light on the previously documented divergence of many P. falciparum and P. vivax kinases from those of their human host. We provide the first direct kinome comparison between the phylogenetically distinct species of P. falciparum and P. vivax, illustrating the key similarities and differences which must be considered in the context of kinase-directed antimalarial drug discovery, and discuss the divergences and similarities between the human and Plasmodium kinomes to inform future searches for selective antimalarial intervention. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08457-0.
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Genetic Diversity of Plasmodium vivax Cysteine-Rich Protective Antigen (PvCyRPA) in Field Isolates from Five Different Areas of the Brazilian Amazon. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12111657. [PMID: 34828264 PMCID: PMC8623135 DOI: 10.3390/genes12111657] [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: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Plasmodium vivax Cysteine-Rich Protective Antigen (PvCyRPA) has an important role in erythrocyte invasion and has been considered a target for vivax malaria vaccine development. Nonetheless, its genetic diversity remains uncharted in Brazilian malaria-endemic areas. Therefore, we investigated the pvcyrpa genetic polymorphism in 98 field isolates from the Brazilian Amazon and its impact on the antigenicity of predicted B-cell epitopes. Genetic diversity parameters, population genetic analysis, neutrality test and the median-joining network were analyzed, and the potential amino acid polymorphism participation in B-cell epitopes was investigated. One synonymous and 26 non-synonymous substitutions defined fifty haplotypes. The nucleotide diversity and Tajima’s D values varied across the coding gene. The exon-1 sequence had greater diversity than those of exon-2. Concerning the prediction analysis, seven sequences were predicted as linear B cell epitopes, the majority contained in conformational epitopes. Moreover, important amino acid polymorphism was detected in regions predicted to contain residues participating in B-cell epitopes. Our data suggest that the pvcyrpa gene presents a moderate polymorphism in the studied isolates and such polymorphisms alter amino acid sequences contained in potential B cell epitopes, an important observation considering the antigen potentiality as a vaccine candidate to cover distinct P. vivax endemic areas worldwide.
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36
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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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37
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Mourier T, de Alvarenga DAM, Kaushik A, de Pina-Costa A, Douvropoulou O, Guan Q, Guzmán-Vega FJ, Forrester S, de Abreu FVS, Júnior CB, de Souza Junior JC, Moreira SB, Hirano ZMB, Pissinatti A, Ferreira-da-Cruz MDF, de Oliveira RL, Arold ST, Jeffares DC, Brasil P, de Brito CFA, Culleton R, Daniel-Ribeiro CT, Pain A. The genome of the zoonotic malaria parasite Plasmodium simium reveals adaptations to host switching. BMC Biol 2021; 19:219. [PMID: 34592986 PMCID: PMC8485552 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01139-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium simium, a malaria parasite of non-human primates (NHP), was recently shown to cause zoonotic infections in humans in Brazil. We sequenced the P. simium genome to investigate its evolutionary history and to identify any genetic adaptions that may underlie the ability of this parasite to switch between host species. RESULTS Phylogenetic analyses based on whole genome sequences of P. simium from humans and NHPs reveals that P. simium is monophyletic within the broader diversity of South American Plasmodium vivax, suggesting P. simium first infected NHPs as a result of a host switch of P. vivax from humans. The P. simium isolates show the closest relationship to Mexican P. vivax isolates. Analysis of erythrocyte invasion genes reveals differences between P. vivax and P. simium, including large deletions in the Duffy-binding protein 1 (DBP1) and reticulocyte-binding protein 2a genes of P. simium. Analysis of P. simium isolated from NHPs and humans revealed a deletion of 38 amino acids in DBP1 present in all human-derived isolates, whereas NHP isolates were multi-allelic. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of the P. simium genome confirmed a close phylogenetic relationship between P. simium and P. vivax, and suggests a very recent American origin for P. simium. The presence of the DBP1 deletion in all human-derived isolates tested suggests that this deletion, in combination with other genetic changes in P. simium, may facilitate the invasion of human red blood cells and may explain, at least in part, the basis of the recent zoonotic infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Mourier
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Denise Anete Madureira de Alvarenga
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Biologia Molecular e Imunologia da Malária, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Belo Horizonte, MG, 30190-009, Brazil
| | - Abhinav Kaushik
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Anielle de Pina-Costa
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
- Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Doenças Febris Agudas, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
- Centro Universitário Serra dos Órgãos (UNIFESO), Teresópolis, RJ, 25964-004, Brazil
| | - Olga Douvropoulou
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Qingtian Guan
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Francisco J Guzmán-Vega
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sarah Forrester
- Department of Biology and York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Filipe Vieira Santos de Abreu
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
- Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Cesare Bianco Júnior
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, IOC, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Julio Cesar de Souza Junior
- Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB), Centro de Pesquisas Biológicas de Indaial (CEPESBI)/ Projeto bugio, Blumenau, Indaial, SC, Brazil
| | | | - Zelinda Maria Braga Hirano
- Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB), Centro de Pesquisas Biológicas de Indaial (CEPESBI)/ Projeto bugio, Blumenau, Indaial, SC, Brazil
| | - Alcides Pissinatti
- Centro de Primatologia do Rio de Janeiro (CPRJ/Inea), Guapimirim, RJ, 25940-000, Brazil
| | - Maria de Fátima Ferreira-da-Cruz
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, IOC, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Lourenço de Oliveira
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
- Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Stefan T Arold
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Centre de Biologie Structurale, CNRS, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Daniel C Jeffares
- Department of Biology and York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Patrícia Brasil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
- Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Doenças Febris Agudas, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Cristiana Ferreira Alves de Brito
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Biologia Molecular e Imunologia da Malária, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Belo Horizonte, MG, 30190-009, Brazil
| | - Richard Culleton
- Division of Molecular Parasitology, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan
| | - Cláudio Tadeu Daniel-Ribeiro
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil.
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, IOC, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-360, Brazil.
| | - Arnab Pain
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
- Global Station for Zoonosis Control, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, N20 W10 Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
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38
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Tebben K, Bradwell K, Serre D. Variation in selective constraints along the Plasmodium life cycle. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2021; 92:104908. [PMID: 33975022 PMCID: PMC8205998 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium parasites, the cause of malaria, have a complex life cycle, infecting alternatively vertebrate hosts and female Anopheles mosquitoes and undergoing intra- and extra-cellular development in several organs of these hosts. Most of the ~5000 protein-coding genes present in Plasmodium genomes are only expressed at specific life stages, and different genes might therefore be subject to different selective pressures depending on the biological activity of the parasite and its microenvironment at this point in development. Here, we estimate the selective constraints on the protein-coding sequences of all annotated genes of rodent and primate Plasmodium parasites and, using data from scRNA-seq experiments spanning many developmental stages, analyze their variation with regard to when these genes are expressed in the parasite life cycle. Our study reveals extensive variation in selective constraints throughout the parasites' development and highlights stages that are evolving more rapidly than others. These findings provide novel insights into the biology of these parasites and could provide important information to develop better treatment strategies or vaccines against these medically-important organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kieran Tebben
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Katie Bradwell
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - David Serre
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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39
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Abstract
African apes harbor at least twelve Plasmodium species, some of which have been a source of human infection. It is now well established that Plasmodium falciparum emerged following the transmission of a gorilla parasite, perhaps within the last 10,000 years, while Plasmodium vivax emerged earlier from a parasite lineage that infected humans and apes in Africa before the Duffy-negative mutation eliminated the parasite from humans there. Compared to their ape relatives, both human parasites have greatly reduced genetic diversity and an excess of nonsynonymous mutations, consistent with severe genetic bottlenecks followed by rapid population expansion. A putative new Plasmodium species widespread in chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos places the origin of Plasmodium malariae in Africa. Here, we review what is known about the origins and evolutionary history of all human-infective Plasmodium species, the time and circumstances of their emergence, and the diversity, host specificity, and zoonotic potential of their ape counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Sharp
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Lindsey J Plenderleith
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice H Hahn
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA;
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40
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Singh A, Kaushik R, Chaurasia DK, Singh M, Jayaram B. PvP01-DB: computational structural and functional characterization of soluble proteome of PvP01 strain of Plasmodium vivax. DATABASE-THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DATABASES AND CURATION 2021; 2020:5857404. [PMID: 32542363 PMCID: PMC7296392 DOI: 10.1093/database/baaa036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Despite Plasmodium vivax being the main offender in the majority of malarial infections, very little information is available about its adaptation and development in humans. Its capability for activating relapsing infections through its dormant liver stage and resistance to antimalarial drugs makes it as one of the major challenges in eradicating malaria. Noting the immediate necessity for the availability of a comprehensive and reliable structural and functional repository for P. vivax proteome, here we developed a web resource for the new reference genome, PvP01, furnishing information on sequence, structure, functions, active sites and metabolic pathways compiled and predicted using some of the state-of-the-art methods in respective fields. The PvP01 web resource comprises organized data on the soluble proteome consisting of 3664 proteins in blood and liver stages of malarial cycle. The current public resources represent only 163 proteins of soluble proteome of PvP01, with complete information about their molecular function, biological process and cellular components. Also, only 46 proteins of P. vivax have experimentally determined structures. In this milieu of extreme scarcity of structural and functional information, PvP01 web resource offers meticulously validated structures of 3664 soluble proteins. The sequence and structure-based functional characterization led to a quantum leap from 163 proteins available presently to whole soluble proteome offered through PvP01 web resource. We believe PvP01 web resource will serve the researchers in identifying novel protein drug targets and in accelerating the development of structure-based new drug candidates to combat malaria. Database Availability: http://www.scfbio-iitd.res.in/PvP01
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Singh
- Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India, 110016.,Centre of Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Life Sciences C, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States
| | - Rahul Kaushik
- Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India, 110016.,Laboratory for Structural Bioinformatics, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Dheeraj Kumar Chaurasia
- Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India, 110016
| | - Manpreet Singh
- Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India, 110016
| | - B Jayaram
- Supercomputing Facility for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India, 110016.,Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India, 110016.,Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India, 110016
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41
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Steel RWJ, Vigdorovich V, Dambrauskas N, Wilder BK, Arredondo SA, Goswami D, Kumar S, Carbonetti S, Swearingen KE, Nguyen T, Betz W, Camargo N, Fisher BS, Soden J, Thomas H, Freeth J, Moritz RL, Noah Sather D, Kappe SHI. Platelet derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ) is a host receptor for the human malaria parasite adhesin TRAP. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11328. [PMID: 34059712 PMCID: PMC8166973 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90722-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Following their inoculation by the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito, the malaria parasite sporozoite forms travel from the bite site in the skin into the bloodstream, which transports them to the liver. The thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) is a type 1 transmembrane protein that is released from secretory organelles and relocalized on the sporozoite plasma membrane. TRAP is required for sporozoite motility and host infection, and its extracellular portion contains adhesive domains that are predicted to engage host receptors. Here, we identified the human platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (hPDGFRβ) as one such protein receptor. Deletion constructs showed that the von Willebrand factor type A and thrombospondin repeat domains of TRAP are both required for optimal binding to hPDGFRβ-expressing cells. We also demonstrate that this interaction is conserved in the human-infective parasite Plasmodium vivax, but not the rodent-infective parasite Plasmodium yoelii. We observed expression of hPDGFRβ mainly in cells associated with the vasculature suggesting that TRAP:hPDGFRβ interaction may play a role in the recognition of blood vessels by invading sporozoites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan W J Steel
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
- Infectious Diseases and Immune Defence Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | | | | | - Brandon K Wilder
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR, 97006, USA
| | | | | | - Sudhir Kumar
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Thao Nguyen
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Will Betz
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nelly Camargo
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Jo Soden
- Retrogenix Ltd, Chinley, High Peak, SK23 6FJ, UK
| | - Helen Thomas
- Retrogenix Ltd, Chinley, High Peak, SK23 6FJ, UK
| | - Jim Freeth
- Retrogenix Ltd, Chinley, High Peak, SK23 6FJ, UK
| | | | - D Noah Sather
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Stefan H I Kappe
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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42
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Pegoraro M, Weedall GD. Malaria in the 'Omics Era'. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12060843. [PMID: 34070769 PMCID: PMC8228830 DOI: 10.3390/genes12060843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomics has revolutionised the study of the biology of parasitic diseases. The first Eukaryotic parasite to have its genome sequenced was the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Since then, Plasmodium genomics has continued to lead the way in the study of the genome biology of parasites, both in breadth—the number of Plasmodium species’ genomes sequenced—and in depth—massive-scale genome re-sequencing of several key species. Here, we review some of the insights into the biology, evolution and population genetics of Plasmodium gained from genome sequencing, and look at potential new avenues in the future genome-scale study of its biology.
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43
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Benavente ED, Manko E, Phelan J, Campos M, Nolder D, Fernandez D, Velez-Tobon G, Castaño AT, Dombrowski JG, Marinho CRF, Aguiar ACC, Pereira DB, Sriprawat K, Nosten F, Moon R, Sutherland CJ, Campino S, Clark TG. Distinctive genetic structure and selection patterns in Plasmodium vivax from South Asia and East Africa. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3160. [PMID: 34039976 PMCID: PMC8154914 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23422-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the high burden of Plasmodium vivax malaria in South Asian countries, the genetic diversity of circulating parasite populations is not well described. Determinants of antimalarial drug susceptibility for P. vivax in the region have not been characterised. Our genomic analysis of global P. vivax (n = 558) establishes South Asian isolates (n = 92) as a distinct subpopulation, which shares ancestry with some East African and South East Asian parasites. Signals of positive selection are linked to drug resistance-associated loci including pvkelch10, pvmrp1, pvdhfr and pvdhps, and two loci linked to P. vivax invasion of reticulocytes, pvrbp1a and pvrbp1b. Significant identity-by-descent was found in extended chromosome regions common to P. vivax from India and Ethiopia, including the pvdbp gene associated with Duffy blood group binding. Our investigation provides new understanding of global P. vivax population structure and genomic diversity, and genetic evidence of recent directional selection in this important human pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest Diez Benavente
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Emilia Manko
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jody Phelan
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Monica Campos
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Debbie Nolder
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Public Health England Malaria Reference Laboratory, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Diana Fernandez
- Grupo Malaria, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Antioquia, Colombia
| | - Gabriel Velez-Tobon
- Grupo Malaria, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Antioquia, Colombia
| | | | - Jamille G Dombrowski
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claudio R F Marinho
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Anna Caroline C Aguiar
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Kanlaya Sriprawat
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand
| | - Francois Nosten
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine Research Building, University of Oxford Old Road Campus, Oxford, UK
| | - Robert Moon
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Colin J Sutherland
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Public Health England Malaria Reference Laboratory, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Susana Campino
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Taane G Clark
- Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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44
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de Oliveira TC, Rodrigues PT, Early AM, Duarte AMRC, Buery JC, Bueno MG, Catão-Dias JL, Cerutti C, Rona LDP, Neafsey DE, Ferreira MU. Plasmodium simium: population genomics reveals the origin of a reverse zoonosis. J Infect Dis 2021; 224:1950-1961. [PMID: 33870436 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The population history of Plasmodium simium, which causes malaria in sylvatic Neotropical monkeys and humans along the Atlantic Coast of Brazil, remains disputed. Genetically diverse P. vivax populations from various sources, including the lineages that founded the species P. simium, are thought to have arrived in the Americas in separate migratory waves. However, here we find a minimal genome-level differentiation between P. simium and present-day New World P. vivax isolates, consistent with their common geographic origin and subsequent divergence on this continent. The meagre genetic diversity in P. simium samples from humans and monkeys implies a recent transfer from humans to non-human primates - a unique example of malaria as a reverse zoonosis of public health significance. Likely genomic signatures of P. simium adaptation to new hosts include the deletion of >40% of a key erythrocyte invasion ligand, PvRBP2a, which may have favored more efficient simian host cell infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaís C de Oliveira
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Priscila T Rodrigues
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Angela M Early
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ana Maria R C Duarte
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Superintendency for the Control of Endemics (SUCEN), State Secretary of Health, São Paulo, Brazil.,Laboratory of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine of São Paulo, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Julyana C Buery
- Department of Social Medicine, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil
| | - Marina G Bueno
- Laboratory of Wildlife Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Laboratory of Comparative and Environmental Virology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José L Catão-Dias
- Laboratory of Wildlife Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Crispim Cerutti
- Department of Social Medicine, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil
| | - Luísa D P Rona
- Department of Cell Biology, Embryology, and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil.,National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, National Institute of Science and Technology in Molecular Entomology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Daniel E Neafsey
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcelo U Ferreira
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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45
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Daron J, Boissière A, Boundenga L, Ngoubangoye B, Houze S, Arnathau C, Sidobre C, Trape JF, Durand P, Renaud F, Fontaine MC, Prugnolle F, Rougeron V. Population genomic evidence of Plasmodium vivax Southeast Asian origin. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/18/eabc3713. [PMID: 33910900 PMCID: PMC8081369 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc3713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is the most common and widespread human malaria parasite. It was recently proposed that P. vivax originates from sub-Saharan Africa based on the circulation of its closest genetic relatives (P. vivax-like) among African great apes. However, the limited number of genetic markers and samples investigated questions the robustness of this hypothesis. Here, we extensively characterized the genomic variations of 447 human P. vivax strains and 19 ape P. vivax-like strains collected worldwide. Phylogenetic relationships between human and ape Plasmodium strains revealed that P. vivax is a sister clade of P. vivax-like, not included within the radiation of P. vivax-like By investigating various aspects of P. vivax genetic variation, we identified several notable geographical patterns in summary statistics in function of the increasing geographic distance from Southeast Asia, suggesting that P. vivax may have derived from a single area in Asia through serial founder effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josquin Daron
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France.
| | - Anne Boissière
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
- Centre of Research in Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Montpellier, France
| | - Larson Boundenga
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon
| | | | - Sandrine Houze
- Service de Parasitologie-mycologie CNR du Paludisme, AP-HP Hôpital Bichat, 46 rue H. Huchard, 75877 Paris Cedex 18, France
| | - Celine Arnathau
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
- Centre of Research in Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Montpellier, France
| | - Christine Sidobre
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-François Trape
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Patrick Durand
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
- Centre of Research in Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Montpellier, France
| | - François Renaud
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
- Centre of Research in Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Montpellier, France
| | - Michael C Fontaine
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
- Centre of Research in Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Montpellier, France
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, PO Box 11103 CC, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Franck Prugnolle
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
- Centre of Research in Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Montpellier, France
| | - Virginie Rougeron
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France.
- Centre of Research in Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Montpellier, France
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Bourgard C, Lopes SCP, Lacerda MVG, Albrecht L, Costa FTM. A suitable RNA preparation methodology for whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing harvested from Plasmodium vivax-infected patients. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5089. [PMID: 33658571 PMCID: PMC7930272 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84607-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is a world-threatening human malaria parasite, whose biology remains elusive. The unavailability of in vitro culture, and the difficulties in getting a high number of pure parasites makes RNA isolation in quantity and quality a challenge. Here, a methodological outline for RNA-seq from P. vivax isolates with low parasitemia is presented, combining parasite maturation and enrichment with efficient RNA extraction, yielding ~ 100 pg.µL−1 of RNA, suitable for SMART-Seq Ultra-Low Input RNA library and Illumina sequencing. Unbiased coding transcriptome of ~ 4 M reads was achieved for four patient isolates with ~ 51% of transcripts mapped to the P. vivax P01 reference genome, presenting heterogeneous profiles of expression among individual isolates. Amongst the most transcribed genes in all isolates, a parasite-staged mixed repertoire of conserved parasite metabolic, membrane and exported proteins was observed. Still, a quarter of transcribed genes remain functionally uncharacterized. In parallel, a P. falciparum Brazilian isolate was also analyzed and 57% of its transcripts mapped against IT genome. Comparison of transcriptomes of the two species revealed a common trophozoite-staged expression profile, with several homologous genes being expressed. Collectively, these results will positively impact vivax research improving knowledge of P. vivax biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Bourgard
- Laboratory of Tropical Diseases, Prof. Dr. Luiz Jacintho da Silva, Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Stefanie C P Lopes
- Instituto Leônidas & Maria Deane, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Manaus, AM, Brazil.,Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado-FMT-HVD, Gerência de Malária, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Marcus V G Lacerda
- Instituto Leônidas & Maria Deane, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Manaus, AM, Brazil.,Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado-FMT-HVD, Gerência de Malária, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Letusa Albrecht
- Laboratory of Tropical Diseases, Prof. Dr. Luiz Jacintho da Silva, Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil. .,Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
| | - Fabio T M Costa
- Laboratory of Tropical Diseases, Prof. Dr. Luiz Jacintho da Silva, Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
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47
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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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48
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Structure of the Plasmodium-interspersed repeat proteins of the malaria parasite. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:32098-32104. [PMID: 33257570 PMCID: PMC7749308 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2016775117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria replicate within blood cells of an infected host. These parasites send a small number of proteins to infected blood cell surfaces, allowing them to bind host molecules but also risking their detection by the host immune system. These proteins have diversified into large families, allowing the parasite to avoid detection by using antigenic variation. The most ubiquitous of these families is the Plasmodium-interspersed repeat (PIR) protein family. Here we present the structure of a PIR protein, revealing the architecture of its ectodomain and showing how it has diversified. Finally, we use structure-guided methods to understand which small variant surface antigen families are PIRs and to understand their evolution across malaria parasites. The deadly symptoms of malaria occur as Plasmodium parasites replicate within blood cells. Members of several variant surface protein families are expressed on infected blood cell surfaces. Of these, the largest and most ubiquitous are the Plasmodium-interspersed repeat (PIR) proteins, with more than 1,000 variants in some genomes. Their functions are mysterious, but differential pir gene expression associates with acute or chronic infection in a mouse malaria model. The membership of the PIR superfamily, and whether the family includes Plasmodium falciparum variant surface proteins, such as RIFINs and STEVORs, is controversial. Here we reveal the structure of the extracellular domain of a PIR from Plasmodium chabaudi. We use structure-guided sequence analysis and molecular modeling to show that this fold is found across PIR proteins from mouse- and human-infective malaria parasites. Moreover, we show that RIFINs and STEVORs are not PIRs. This study provides a structure-guided definition of the PIRs and a molecular framework to understand their evolution.
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49
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Ba H, Auburn S, Jacob CG, Goncalves S, Duffy CW, Stewart LB, Price RN, Deh YB, Diallo MY, Tandia A, Kwiatkowski DP, Conway DJ. Multi-locus genotyping reveals established endemicity of a geographically distinct Plasmodium vivax population in Mauritania, West Africa. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008945. [PMID: 33326439 PMCID: PMC7773413 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax has been recently discovered as a significant cause of malaria in Mauritania, although very rare elsewhere in West Africa. It has not been known if this is a recently introduced or locally remnant parasite population, nor whether the genetic structure reflects epidemic or endemic transmission. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS To investigate the P. vivax population genetic structure in Mauritania and compare with populations previously analysed elsewhere, multi-locus genotyping was undertaken on 100 clinical isolates, using a genome-wide panel of 38 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), plus seven SNPs in drug resistance genes. The Mauritanian P. vivax population is shown to be genetically diverse and divergent from populations elsewhere, indicated consistently by genetic distance matrix analysis, principal components analyses, and fixation indices. Only one isolate had a genotype clearly indicating recent importation, from a southeast Asian source. There was no linkage disequilibrium in the local parasite population, and only a small number of infections appeared to be closely genetically related, indicating that there is ongoing genetic recombination consistent with endemic transmission. The P. vivax diversity in a remote mining town was similar to that in the capital Nouakchott, with no indication of local substructure or of epidemic population structure. Drug resistance alleles were virtually absent in Mauritania, in contrast with P. vivax in other areas of the world. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The molecular epidemiology indicates that there is long-standing endemic transmission that will be very challenging to eliminate. The virtual absence of drug resistance alleles suggests that most infections have been untreated, and that this endemic infection has been more neglected in comparison to P. vivax elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hampate Ba
- Institut National de Recherche en Santé Publique, Nouakchott, Mauritania
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | | | - Sonia Goncalves
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Craig W. Duffy
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lindsay B. Stewart
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ric N. Price
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Yacine Boubou Deh
- Institut National de Recherche en Santé Publique, Nouakchott, Mauritania
| | | | - Abderahmane Tandia
- Institut National de Recherche en Santé Publique, Nouakchott, Mauritania
| | | | - David J. Conway
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London, United Kingdom
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50
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Su XZ, Zhang C, Joy DA. Host-Malaria Parasite Interactions and Impacts on Mutual Evolution. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:587933. [PMID: 33194831 PMCID: PMC7652737 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.587933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is the most deadly parasitic disease, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Malaria parasites have been associated with their hosts for millions of years. During the long history of host-parasite co-evolution, both parasites and hosts have applied pressure on each other through complex host-parasite molecular interactions. Whereas the hosts activate various immune mechanisms to remove parasites during an infection, the parasites attempt to evade host immunity by diversifying their genome and switching expression of targets of the host immune system. Human intervention to control the disease such as antimalarial drugs and vaccination can greatly alter parasite population dynamics and evolution, particularly the massive applications of antimalarial drugs in recent human history. Vaccination is likely the best method to prevent the disease; however, a partially protective vaccine may have unwanted consequences that require further investigation. Studies of host-parasite interactions and co-evolution will provide important information for designing safe and effective vaccines and for preventing drug resistance. In this essay, we will discuss some interesting molecules involved in host-parasite interactions, including important parasite antigens. We also discuss subjects relevant to drug and vaccine development and some approaches for studying host-parasite interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Zhuan Su
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Cui Zhang
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Deirdre A Joy
- Parasitology and International Programs Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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