1
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Silva NI, Souza PFL, Silva BF, Fonseca SG, Gardinassi LG. Host Transcriptional Meta-signatures Reveal Diagnostic Biomarkers for Plasmodium falciparum Malaria. J Infect Dis 2024; 230:e474-e485. [PMID: 38271704 PMCID: PMC11326815 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiae041] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcriptomics has been used to evaluate immune responses during malaria in diverse cohorts worldwide. However, the high heterogeneity of cohorts and poor generalization of transcriptional signatures reported in each study limit their potential clinical applications. METHODS We compiled 28 public data sets containing 1556 whole-blood or peripheral blood mononuclear cell transcriptome samples. We estimated effect sizes with Hedge's g value and the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model for meta-analyses of uncomplicated malaria. Random forest models identified gene signatures that discriminate malaria from bacterial infections or malaria severity. Parasitological, hematological, immunological, and metabolomics data were used for validation. RESULTS We identified 3 gene signatures: the uncomplicated Malaria Meta-Signature, which discriminates Plasmodium falciparum malaria from uninfected controls; the Malaria or Bacteria Signature, which distinguishes malaria from sepsis and enteric fever; and the cerebral Malaria Meta-Signature, which characterizes individuals with cerebral malaria. These signatures correlate with clinical hallmark features of malaria. Blood transcription modules indicate immune regulation by glucocorticoids, whereas cell development and adhesion are associated with cerebral malaria. CONCLUSIONS Transcriptional meta-signatures reflecting immune cell responses provide potential biomarkers for translational innovation and suggest critical roles for metabolic regulators of inflammation during malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nágila Isleide Silva
- Departamento de Biociências e Tecnologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Pedro Felipe Loyola Souza
- Departamento de Biociências e Tecnologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Bárbara Fernandes Silva
- Departamento de Biociências e Tecnologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Simone Gonçalves Fonseca
- Departamento de Biociências e Tecnologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Luiz Gustavo Gardinassi
- Departamento de Biociências e Tecnologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
- Departamento de Enfermagem Materno-Infantil e Saúde Pública, Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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2
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Oboh MA, Morenikeji OB, Ojurongbe O, Thomas BN. Transcriptomic analyses of differentially expressed human genes, micro RNAs and long-non-coding RNAs in severe, symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria infection. Sci Rep 2024; 14:16901. [PMID: 39043812 PMCID: PMC11266512 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67663-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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria transmission and endemicity in Africa remains hugely disproportionate compared to the rest of the world. The complex life cycle of P. falciparum (Pf) between the vertebrate human host and the anopheline vector results in differential expression of genes within and between hosts. An in-depth understanding of Pf interaction with various human genes through regulatory elements will pave way for identification of newer tools in the arsenal for malaria control. Therefore, the regulatory elements (REs) involved in the over- or under-expression of various host immune genes hold the key to elucidating alternative control measures that can be applied for disease surveillance, prompt diagnosis and treatment. We carried out an RNAseq analysis to identify differentially expressed genes and network elucidation of non-coding RNAs and target genes associated with immune response in individuals with different clinical outcomes. Raw RNAseq datasets, retrieved for analyses include individuals with severe (Gambia-20), symptomatic (Burkina Faso-15), asymptomatic (Mali-16) malaria as well as uninfected controls (Tanzania-20; Mali-36). Of the total 107 datasets retrieved, we identified 5534 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among disease and control groups. A peculiar pattern of DEGs was observed, with individuals presenting with severe/symptomatic malaria having the highest and most diverse upregulated genes, while a reverse phenomenon was recorded among asymptomatic and uninfected individuals. In addition, we identified 141 differentially expressed micro RNA (miRNA), of which 78 and 63 were upregulated and downregulated respectively. Interactome analysis revealed a moderate interaction between DEGs and miRNAs. Of all identified miRNA, five were unique (hsa-mir-32, hsa-mir-25, hsa-mir-221, hsa-mir-29 and hsa-mir-148) because of their connectivity to several genes, including hsa-mir-221 connected to 16 genes. Six-hundred and eight differentially expressed long non coding RNA (lncRNA) were also identified, including SLC7A11, LINC01524 among the upregulated ones. Our study provides important insight into host immune genes undergoing differential expression under different malaria conditions. It also identified unique miRNAs and lncRNAs that modify and/or regulate the expression of various immune genes. These regulatory elements we surmise, have the potential to serve a diagnostic purpose in discriminating between individuals with severe/symptomatic malaria and those with asymptomatic infection or uninfected, following further clinical validation from field isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary A Oboh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 153 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA
| | - Olanrewaju B Morenikeji
- Division of Biological and Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Bradford, Bradford, PA, USA
| | - Olusola Ojurongbe
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
| | - Bolaji N Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 153 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA.
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3
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Anyona SB, Cheng Q, Wasena SA, Osata SW, Guo Y, Raballah E, Hurwitz I, Onyango CO, Ouma C, Seidenberg PD, McMahon BH, Lambert CG, Schneider KA, Perkins DJ. Entire expressed peripheral blood transcriptome in pediatric severe malarial anemia. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5037. [PMID: 38866743 PMCID: PMC11169501 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48259-4] [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: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
This study on severe malarial anemia (SMA: Hb < 6.0 g/dL), a leading global cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, compares the entire expressed whole blood host transcriptome between Kenyan children (3-48 mos.) with non-SMA (Hb ≥ 6.0 g/dL, n = 39) and SMA (n = 18). Differential expression analyses reveal 1403 up-regulated and 279 down-regulated transcripts in SMA, signifying impairments in host inflammasome activation, cell death, and innate immune and cellular stress responses. Immune cell profiling shows decreased memory responses, antigen presentation, and immediate pathogen clearance, suggesting an immature/improperly regulated immune response in SMA. Module repertoire analysis of blood-specific gene signatures identifies up-regulation of erythroid genes, enhanced neutrophil activation, and impaired inflammatory responses in SMA. Enrichment analyses converge on disruptions in cellular homeostasis and regulatory pathways for the ubiquitin-proteasome system, autophagy, and heme metabolism. Pathway analyses highlight activation in response to hypoxic conditions [Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF)-1 target and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) signaling] as a central theme in SMA. These signaling pathways are also top-ranking in protein abundance measures and a Ugandan SMA cohort with available transcriptomic data. Targeted RNA-Seq validation shows strong concordance with our entire expressed transcriptome data. These findings identify key molecular themes in SMA pathogenesis, offering potential targets for new malaria therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel B Anyona
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Maseno University, Maseno, 40105, Kenya.
- University of New Mexico-Kenya Global Health Programs, Kisumu and Siaya, 40100, Kenya.
| | - Qiuying Cheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Global Health, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA
| | - Sharley A Wasena
- University of New Mexico-Kenya Global Health Programs, Kisumu and Siaya, 40100, Kenya
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technology, School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University, Maseno, 40105, Kenya
| | - Shamim W Osata
- University of New Mexico-Kenya Global Health Programs, Kisumu and Siaya, 40100, Kenya
| | - Yan Guo
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, 33136, USA
| | - Evans Raballah
- University of New Mexico-Kenya Global Health Programs, Kisumu and Siaya, 40100, Kenya
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Public Health, Biomedical Sciences and Technology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, 50100, Kenya
| | - Ivy Hurwitz
- Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Global Health, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA
| | - Clinton O Onyango
- University of New Mexico-Kenya Global Health Programs, Kisumu and Siaya, 40100, Kenya
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technology, School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University, Maseno, 40105, Kenya
| | - Collins Ouma
- University of New Mexico-Kenya Global Health Programs, Kisumu and Siaya, 40100, Kenya
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technology, School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University, Maseno, 40105, Kenya
| | - Philip D Seidenberg
- Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA
| | - Benjamin H McMahon
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group, Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Christophe G Lambert
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Translational Informatics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA
| | - Kristan A Schneider
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Translational Informatics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA
- Department Applied Computer and Bio-Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Mittweida, Mittweida, 09648, Germany
| | - Douglas J Perkins
- University of New Mexico-Kenya Global Health Programs, Kisumu and Siaya, 40100, Kenya.
- Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Global Health, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA.
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4
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Dunican C, Andradi-Brown C, Ebmeier S, Georgiadou A, Cunnington AJ. The malarial blood transcriptome: translational applications. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:651-660. [PMID: 38421063 PMCID: PMC11088907 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230497] [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: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The blood transcriptome of malaria patients has been used extensively to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms and host immune responses to disease, identify candidate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and reveal new therapeutic targets for drug discovery. This review gives a high-level overview of the three main translational applications of these studies (diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics) by summarising recent literature and outlining the main limitations and future directions of each application. It highlights the need for consistent and accurate definitions of disease states and subject groups and discusses how prognostic studies must distinguish clearly between analyses that attempt to predict future disease states and those which attempt to discriminate between current disease states (classification). Lastly it examines how many promising therapeutics fail due to the choice of imperfect animal models for pre-clinical testing and lack of appropriate validation studies in humans, and how future transcriptional studies may be utilised to overcome some of these limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Dunican
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Clare Andradi-Brown
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Stefan Ebmeier
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Athina Georgiadou
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Aubrey J. Cunnington
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
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5
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Doughan A, Adingo W, Salifu SP. RNA-seq research landscape in Africa: systematic review reveals disparities and opportunities. Eur J Med Res 2023; 28:244. [PMID: 37480073 PMCID: PMC10362609 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-023-01206-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA sequencing has emerged as the standard method for transcriptome profiling of several human diseases. We performed a systematic review detailing the state of RNA-seq analyses in Africa from its inception till February 2022. Our goal was to provide an update on the state of RNA-seq analyses in Africa, including research gaps, funding information, participants information, authorship and collaborations. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed an exhaustive literature search for RNA-seq studies conducted in Africa, using PubMed, Scopus and Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost). The output was exported to Endnote X9 for analyses. The initial literature search yielded 10,369 articles spread across PubMed (4916), Scopus (4847) and EBSCOhost (580). By applying our exclusion criteria, 28 full-text articles remained and were thoroughly analyzed. Overall, 17 human diseases were studied, including cancers (10/28), infectious disease (4/28), parasitic disease (4/28), autoimmune disorders (2/28) and neglected tropical diseases (2/28). Majority of the articles were published in PLoS Pathogens, BioMed Central and Nature. The National Institutes of Health (42.4%), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (7.5%) and the Wellcome Trust (7.5%) were the top funders of the research studies. Eleven African countries contributed to the participant group, with 57% located in Eastern Africa, 23.1% from Western and 16.7% from Southern Africa. The extremely low number of RNA-seq research studies in Africa is worrying and calls for an immediate investment in research by the African governments. The funding agencies and institutional review boards should also ensure that African collaborators are treated equitably in the course of the research projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Doughan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Wisdom Adingo
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Samson Pandam Salifu
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana.
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6
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Anyona S, Cheng Q, Guo Y, Raballah E, Hurwitz I, Onyango C, Seidenberg P, Schneider K, Lambert C, McMahon B, Ouma C, Perkins D. Entire Expressed Peripheral Blood Transcriptome in Pediatric Severe Malarial Anemia. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3150748. [PMID: 37503086 PMCID: PMC10371159 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3150748/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
This study on severe malarial anemia (SMA: Hb < 6.0 g/dL), a leading global cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, analyzed the entire expressed transcriptome in whole blood from children with non-SMA (Hb ≥ 6.0 g/dL, n = 41) and SMA (n = 25). Analyses revealed 3,420 up-regulated and 3,442 down-regulated transcripts, signifying impairments in host inflammasome activation, cell death, innate immune responses, and cellular stress responses in SMA. Immune cell profiling showed a decreased antigenic and immune priming response in children with SMA, favoring polarization toward cellular proliferation and repair. Enrichment analysis further identified altered neutrophil and autophagy-related processes, consistent with neutrophil degranulation and altered ubiquitination and proteasome degradation. Pathway analyses highlighted SMA-related alterations in cellular homeostasis, signaling, response to environmental cues, and cellular and immune stress responses. Validation with a qRT-PCR array showed strong concordance with the sequencing data. These findings identify key molecular themes in SMA pathogenesis, providing potential targets for new malaria therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Evans Raballah
- School of Public Health, Biomedical Sciences and Technology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
| | - Ivy Hurwitz
- Center for Global Health, University of New Mexico
| | - Clinton Onyango
- School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University
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7
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Zhang YH, Su XZ, Li J, Shi JJ, Xie LH. Multicohort transcriptome analysis of whole blood identifies robust human response signatures in Plasmodium falciparum infections. Malar J 2022; 21:333. [PMID: 36380373 PMCID: PMC9664782 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04374-5] [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: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To understand how Plasmodium falciparum malaria is controlled, it is essential to elucidate the transcriptomic responses of the human host in naturally-exposed populations. Various individual studies of the human transcriptomic responses to naturally transmitted P. falciparum infections have been reported with varying results. Multicohort gene expression analysis by aggregating data from diverse populations into a single analysis will increase the reproducibility and reliability of the results. Methods In this study, discovery cohorts GSE1124-GPL96, GSE34404, GSE117613, and validation cohort GSE35858 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus. A meta-analysis using data from the multicohort studies was performed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between malaria-infected and noninfected individuals using the MetaIntegrator R package. Subsequently, the protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks of the DEGs were constructed using Cytoscape software. Significant modules were selected, and the hub genes were identified using the CytoHubba and MCODE plug-ins. Multicohort WGCNA was conducted to find a correlation between modules and malaria infection. Furthermore, the immune cell profile of the peripheral blood in different groups was identified using ssGSEA. Results These analyses reveal that neutrophil activation, neutrophil-mediated immunity, and neutrophil degranulation are involved in the human response to natural malaria infection. However, neutrophil cell enrichment and activation were not significantly different between mild malaria and severe malaria groups. Malaria infection also downregulates host genes in ribosome synthesis and protein translation and upregulates host cell division-related genes. Furthermore, immune cell profiling analysis shows that activated dendritic cells and type 2 T helper cells are upregulated, while activated B cells, immature B cells, and monocytes are downregulated in the malaria-infected patients relative to the noninfected individuals. Significantly higher enrichment of activated dendritic cell-related genes and significantly lower enrichment of monocyte-related genes are also observed in the peripheral blood of the severe malaria group than in the mild malaria group. Conclusion These results reveal important molecular signatures of host responses to malaria infections, providing some bases for developing malaria control strategies and protective vaccines. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-022-04374-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-hui Zhang
- grid.419897.a0000 0004 0369 313XKey Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xin-zhuan Su
- grid.94365.3d0000 0001 2297 5165Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Jian Li
- grid.12955.3a0000 0001 2264 7233State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian China
| | - Jia-jian Shi
- grid.419897.a0000 0004 0369 313XKey Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
| | - Li-hua Xie
- grid.419897.a0000 0004 0369 313XKey Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
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8
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Mpina M, Stabler TC, Schindler T, Raso J, Deal A, Acuche Pupu L, Nyakarungu E, Del Carmen Ovono Davis M, Urbano V, Mtoro A, Hamad A, Lopez MSA, Pasialo B, Eyang MAO, Rivas MR, Falla CC, García GA, Momo JC, Chuquiyauri R, Saverino E, Preston Church LW, Kim Lee Sim B, Manguire B, Tanner M, Maas C, Abdulla S, Billingsley PF, Hoffman SL, Jongo S, Richie TL, Daubenberger CA. Diagnostic performance and comparison of ultrasensitive and conventional rapid diagnostic test, thick blood smear and quantitative PCR for detection of low-density Plasmodium falciparum infections during a controlled human malaria infection study in Equatorial Guinea. Malar J 2022; 21:99. [PMID: 35331251 PMCID: PMC8943516 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04103-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Progress towards malaria elimination has stagnated, partly because infections persisting at low parasite densities comprise a large reservoir contributing to ongoing malaria transmission and are difficult to detect. This study compared the performance of an ultrasensitive rapid diagnostic test (uRDT) designed to detect low density infections to a conventional RDT (cRDT), expert microscopy using Giemsa-stained thick blood smears (TBS), and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) during a controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) study conducted in malaria exposed adults (NCT03590340). Methods Blood samples were collected from healthy Equatoguineans aged 18–35 years beginning on day 8 after CHMI with 3.2 × 103 cryopreserved, infectious Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites (PfSPZ Challenge, strain NF54) administered by direct venous inoculation. qPCR (18s ribosomal DNA), uRDT (Alere™ Malaria Ag P.f.), cRDT [Carestart Malaria Pf/PAN (PfHRP2/pLDH)], and TBS were performed daily until the volunteer became TBS positive and treatment was administered. qPCR was the reference for the presence of Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Results 279 samples were collected from 24 participants; 123 were positive by qPCR. TBS detected 24/123 (19.5% sensitivity [95% CI 13.1–27.8%]), uRDT 21/123 (17.1% sensitivity [95% CI 11.1–25.1%]), cRDT 10/123 (8.1% sensitivity [95% CI 4.2–14.8%]); all were 100% specific and did not detect any positive samples not detected by qPCR. TBS and uRDT were more sensitive than cRDT (TBS vs. cRDT p = 0.015; uRDT vs. cRDT p = 0.053), detecting parasitaemias as low as 3.7 parasites/µL (p/µL) (TBS and uRDT) compared to 5.6 p/µL (cRDT) based on TBS density measurements. TBS, uRDT and cRDT did not detect any of the 70/123 samples positive by qPCR below 5.86 p/µL, the qPCR density corresponding to 3.7 p/µL by TBS. The median prepatent periods in days (ranges) were 14.5 (10–20), 18.0 (15–28), 18.0 (15–20) and 18.0 (16–24) for qPCR, TBS, uRDT and cRDT, respectively; qPCR detected parasitaemia significantly earlier (3.5 days) than the other tests. Conclusions TBS and uRDT had similar sensitivities, both were more sensitive than cRDT, and neither matched qPCR for detecting low density parasitaemia. uRDT could be considered an alternative to TBS in selected applications, such as CHMI or field diagnosis, where qualitative, dichotomous results for malaria infection might be sufficient. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-022-04103-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxmillian Mpina
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. .,Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania.
| | - Thomas C Stabler
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Schindler
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jose Raso
- Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.,Equatorial Guinea Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | - Anna Deal
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Elizabeth Nyakarungu
- Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania.,Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | | | - Vicente Urbano
- Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.,Equatorial Guinea Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | - Ali Mtoro
- Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania.,Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | - Ali Hamad
- Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania.,Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | - Maria Silvia A Lopez
- Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.,Equatorial Guinea Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | - Beltran Pasialo
- Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.,Equatorial Guinea Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | - Marta Alene Owono Eyang
- Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.,Equatorial Guinea Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | - Matilde Riloha Rivas
- Equatorial Guinea Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | | | | | - Juan Carlos Momo
- Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.,Equatorial Guinea Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | - Raul Chuquiyauri
- Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.,Sanaria Inc., 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
| | | | | | - B Kim Lee Sim
- Sanaria Inc., 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
| | | | - Marcel Tanner
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Carl Maas
- Marathon EG production Ltd., Houston, USA
| | | | | | | | - Said Jongo
- Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania.,Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | - Thomas L Richie
- Sanaria Inc., 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Claudia A Daubenberger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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9
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Systems analysis and controlled malaria infection in Europeans and Africans elucidate naturally acquired immunity. Nat Immunol 2021; 22:654-665. [PMID: 33888898 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-021-00911-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Controlled human infections provide opportunities to study the interaction between the immune system and malaria parasites, which is essential for vaccine development. Here, we compared immune signatures of malaria-naive Europeans and of Africans with lifelong malaria exposure using mass cytometry, RNA sequencing and data integration, before and 5 and 11 days after venous inoculation with Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites. We observed differences in immune cell populations, antigen-specific responses and gene expression profiles between Europeans and Africans and among Africans with differing degrees of immunity. Before inoculation, an activated/differentiated state of both innate and adaptive cells, including elevated CD161+CD4+ T cells and interferon-γ production, predicted Africans capable of controlling parasitemia. After inoculation, the rapidity of the transcriptional response and clusters of CD4+ T cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells and innate T cells were among the features distinguishing Africans capable of controlling parasitemia from susceptible individuals. These findings can guide the development of a vaccine effective in malaria-endemic regions.
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10
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Mukherjee P, Burgio G, Heitlinger E. Dual RNA Sequencing Meta-analysis in Plasmodium Infection Identifies Host-Parasite Interactions. mSystems 2021; 6:e00182-21. [PMID: 33879496 PMCID: PMC8546971 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00182-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Dual RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) is the simultaneous transcriptomic analysis of interacting symbionts, for example, in malaria. Potential cross-species interactions identified by correlated gene expression might highlight interlinked signaling, metabolic, or gene regulatory pathways in addition to physically interacting proteins. Often, malaria studies address one of the interacting organisms-host or parasite-rendering the other "contamination." Here we perform a meta-analysis using such studies for cross-species expression analysis. We screened experiments for gene expression from host and Plasmodium. Out of 171 studies in Homo sapiens, Macaca mulatta, and Mus musculus, we identified 63 potential studies containing host and parasite data. While 16 studies (1,950 samples) explicitly performed dual RNA-Seq, 47 (1,398 samples) originally focused on one organism. We found 915 experimental replicates from 20 blood studies to be suitable for coexpression analysis and used orthologs for meta-analysis across different host-parasite systems. Centrality metrics from the derived gene expression networks correlated with gene essentiality in the parasites. We found indications of host immune response to elements of the Plasmodium protein degradation system, an antimalarial drug target. We identified well-studied immune responses in the host with our coexpression networks, as our approach recovers known broad processes interlinked between hosts and parasites in addition to individual host and parasite protein associations. The set of core interactions represents commonalities between human malaria and its model systems for prioritization in laboratory experiments. Our approach might also allow insights into the transferability of model systems for different pathways in malaria studies.IMPORTANCE Malaria still causes about 400,000 deaths a year and is one of the most studied infectious diseases. The disease is studied in mice and monkeys as lab models to derive potential therapeutic intervention in human malaria. Interactions between Plasmodium spp. and its hosts are either conserved across different host-parasite systems or idiosyncratic to those systems. Here we use correlation of gene expression from different RNA-Seq studies to infer common host-parasite interactions across human, mouse, and monkey studies. First, we find a set of very conserved interactors, worth further scrutiny in focused laboratory experiments. Second, this work might help assess to which extent experiments and knowledge on different pathways can be transferred from models to humans for potential therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parnika Mukherjee
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
- Research Group Ecology and Evolution of Molecular Parasite-Host Interactions, Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Gaétan Burgio
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Emanuel Heitlinger
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
- Research Group Ecology and Evolution of Molecular Parasite-Host Interactions, Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Berlin, Germany
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11
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Zhao Y, Hosking C, Cunningham D, Langhorne J, Lin JW. Transcriptome analysis of blood and spleen in virulent and avirulent mouse malaria infection. Sci Data 2020; 7:253. [PMID: 32753619 PMCID: PMC7403358 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-00592-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a devastating infectious disease and the immune response is complex and dynamic during a course of a malarial infection. Rodent malaria models allow detailed time-series studies of the host response in multiple organs. Here, we describe two comprehensive datasets containing host transcriptomic data from both the blood and spleen throughout an acute blood stage infection of virulent or avirulent Plasmodium chabaudi infection in C57BL/6 mice. The mRNA expression profiles were generated using Illumina BeadChip microarray. These datasets provide a groundwork for comprehensive and comparative studies on host gene expression in early, acute and recovering phases of a blood stage infection in both the blood and spleen, to explore the interaction between the two, and importantly to investigate whether these responses differ in virulent and avirulent infections. Measurement(s) | transcriptome • gene expression • malaria | Technology Type(s) | Microarray | Factor Type(s) | blood versus spleen • virulent versus avirulent malaria infection | Sample Characteristic - Organism | Mus musculus |
Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.12619232
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuancun Zhao
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of MOE, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Caroline Hosking
- Malaria Immunology laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Deirdre Cunningham
- Malaria Immunology laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Jean Langhorne
- Malaria Immunology laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom.
| | - Jing-Wen Lin
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of MOE, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China.
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12
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Host and Parasite Transcriptomic Changes upon Successive Plasmodium falciparum Infections in Early Childhood. mSystems 2020; 5:5/4/e00116-20. [PMID: 32636334 PMCID: PMC7343306 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00116-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We show that dual RNA-seq from patient blood samples allows characterization of host/parasite interactions during malaria infections and can provide a solid framework to study the acquisition of antimalarial immunity, as well as the adaptations of P. falciparum to malaria-experienced hosts. Children are highly susceptible to clinical malaria, and in regions where malaria is endemic, their immune systems must face successive encounters with Plasmodium falciparum parasites before they develop immunity, first against severe disease and later against uncomplicated malaria. Understanding cellular and molecular interactions between host and parasites during an infection could provide insights into the processes underlying this gradual acquisition of immunity, as well as to how parasites adapt to infect hosts that are successively more malaria experienced. Here, we describe methods to analyze the host and parasite gene expression profiles generated simultaneously from blood samples collected from five consecutive symptomatic P. falciparum infections in three Malian children. We show that the data generated enable statistical assessment of the proportions of (i) each white blood cell subset and (ii) the parasite developmental stages, as well as investigations of host-parasite gene coexpression. We also use the sequences generated to analyze allelic variations in transcribed regions and determine the complexity of each infection. While limited by the modest sample size, our analyses suggest that host gene expression profiles primarily clustered by individual, while the parasite gene expression profiles seemed to differentiate early from late infections. Overall, this study provides a solid framework to examine the mechanisms underlying acquisition of immunity to malaria infections using whole-blood transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). IMPORTANCE We show that dual RNA-seq from patient blood samples allows characterization of host/parasite interactions during malaria infections and can provide a solid framework to study the acquisition of antimalarial immunity, as well as the adaptations of P. falciparum to malaria-experienced hosts.
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13
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M A, Chatterjee S, A P, S M, Davuluri S, Ar AK, T A, M P, Cs P, Sinha M, Chugani A, R VP, Kk A, R S J. Natural Killer cell transcriptome during primary EBV infection and EBV associated Hodgkin Lymphoma in children-A preliminary observation. Immunobiology 2020; 225:151907. [PMID: 32044149 DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2020.151907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Epstein Barr Viral infection is a common childhood infection in India and is also nearly 100 % etiologically associated with pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL). The main question in EBV immunobiology has been, why only a small subset of infected individuals develop EBV associated malignancies, while the vast majority carry this virus asymptomatically for life. Natural Killer (NK) cells, with a phenotype of CD56dim CD16+ exhibit potent cytotoxicity towards both virus infected cells and transformed cells and hence have been considered to be crucial in preventing the development of symptomatic EBV infection and lymphoma. In order to get an insight into the various possible molecular aspects of NK cells, in the pathogenesis of both these EBV mediated diseases in children we studied the whole transcriptome of MACS sorted CD56dim CD16 + NK cells from four patients from each of the three groups of children viz. Infectious Mononucleosis (IM), HL and age matched controls by using a massively parallel sequencing approach. NK cells from both IM and HL had down-regulated innate immunity and chemokine signaling genes. While down-regulation of genes responsible for polarization of the secretory apparatus, activated NK cell signaling and MAP kinase signaling were exclusive to NK cells in patients with IM, in NK cells of HL, specifically, genes involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) - receptor interaction, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, TNF signaling, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and cytosolic DNA-sensing pathways were significantly down-regulated. Enrichment analysis showed STAT3 to be the most significant transcription factor (TF) for the down-regulated genes in IM, whereas, GATA1 was found to be the most significant TF for the genes down-regulated in HL. Analysis of protein interaction network identified functionally important protein clusters. Top clusters, comprised of down-regulated genes, involved in signaling and ubiquitin-related processes and pathways. These may perhaps be responsible for the hypo-responsiveness of NK cells in both diseases. These possibly point to different deficiencies in NK cell activation, loss of activating receptor signaling and degranulation in IM, versus loss of cytokine and chemokine signaling in HL, in the two EBV associated pathologies investigated. Various suppressed molecules and pathways were novel, which have not been reported earlier and could therefore be potential targets for immunotherapy of NK cell reactivation in both the diseases in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alka M
- Departments of Microbiology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, India
| | | | - Parchure A
- Departments of Microbiology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, India
| | - Mahantesh S
- Departments of Microbiology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, Bangalore, India
| | - Sravanthi Davuluri
- Biological Data Analyzers' Association (BdataA), Electronic City, Phase I, Bangalore, India
| | - Arun Kumar Ar
- Departments of Pediatric Oncology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, India
| | - Avinash T
- Departments of Pediatric Oncology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, India
| | - Padma M
- Departments of Pediatric Oncology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, India
| | - Premalata Cs
- Departments of Pathology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, India
| | - Mahua Sinha
- Departments of Microbiology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, India
| | | | | | - Acharya Kk
- Biological Data Analyzers' Association (BdataA), Electronic City, Phase I, Bangalore, India; Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, Bangalore, India
| | - Jayshree R S
- Departments of Microbiology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, India.
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14
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Maruyama SR, Carvalho B, González-Porta M, Rung J, Brazma A, Gustavo Gardinassi L, Ferreira BR, Banin TM, Veríssimo CJ, Katiki LM, de Miranda-Santos IKF. Blood transcriptome profile induced by an efficacious vaccine formulated with salivary antigens from cattle ticks. NPJ Vaccines 2019; 4:53. [PMID: 31871773 PMCID: PMC6920353 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-019-0145-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks cause massive damage to livestock and vaccines are one sustainable alternative for the acaricide poisons currently heavily used to control infestations. An experimental vaccine adjuvanted with alum and composed by four recombinant salivary antigens mined with reverse vaccinology from a transcriptome of salivary glands from Rhipicephalus microplus ticks was previously shown to present an overall efficacy of 73.2% and cause a significant decrease of tick loads in artificially tick-infested, immunized heifers; this decrease was accompanied by increased levels of antigen-specific IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies, which were boosted during a challenge infestation. In order to gain insights into the systemic effects induced by the vaccine and by the tick challenge we now report the gene expression profile of these hosts' whole-blood leukocytes with RNA-seq followed by functional analyses. These analyses show that vaccination induced unique responses to infestations; genes upregulated in the comparisons were enriched for processes associated with chemotaxis, cell adhesion, T-cell responses and wound repair. Blood transcriptional modules were enriched for activation of dendritic cells, cell cycle, phosphatidylinositol signaling, and platelets. Together, the results indicate that by neutralizing the tick's salivary mediators of parasitism with vaccine-induced antibodies, the bovine host is able to mount normal homeostatic responses that hinder tick attachment and haematophagy and that the tick otherwise suppresses with its saliva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra R. Maruyama
- Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
- Present Address: Department of Genetics and Evolution, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP Brazil
| | | | - Mar González-Porta
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, UK
- Present Address: Illumina Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Johan Rung
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, UK
- Present Address: Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Alvis Brazma
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, UK
| | - Luiz Gustavo Gardinassi
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
| | - Beatriz R. Ferreira
- Ribeirão Preto School of Nursing, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
| | - Tamy M. Banin
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
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15
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Hodgson SH, Muller J, Lockstone HE, Hill AVS, Marsh K, Draper SJ, Knight JC. Use of gene expression studies to investigate the human immunological response to malaria infection. Malar J 2019; 18:418. [PMID: 31835999 PMCID: PMC6911278 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-019-3035-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Transcriptional profiling of the human immune response to malaria has been used to identify diagnostic markers, understand the pathogenicity of severe disease and dissect the mechanisms of naturally acquired immunity (NAI). However, interpreting this body of work is difficult given considerable variation in study design, definition of disease, patient selection and methodology employed. This work details a comprehensive review of gene expression profiling (GEP) of the human immune response to malaria to determine how this technology has been applied to date, instances where this has advanced understanding of NAI and the extent of variability in methodology between studies to allow informed comparison of data and interpretation of results. Methods Datasets from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) including the search terms; ‘plasmodium’ or ‘malaria’ or ‘sporozoite’ or ‘merozoite’ or ‘gametocyte’ and ‘Homo sapiens’ were identified and publications analysed. Datasets of gene expression changes in relation to malaria vaccines were excluded. Results Twenty-three GEO datasets and 25 related publications were included in the final review. All datasets related to Plasmodium falciparum infection, except two that related to Plasmodium vivax infection. The majority of datasets included samples from individuals infected with malaria ‘naturally’ in the field (n = 13, 57%), however some related to controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) studies (n = 6, 26%), or cells stimulated with Plasmodium in vitro (n = 6, 26%). The majority of studies examined gene expression changes relating to the blood stage of the parasite. Significant heterogeneity between datasets was identified in terms of study design, sample type, platform used and method of analysis. Seven datasets specifically investigated transcriptional changes associated with NAI to malaria, with evidence supporting suppression of the innate pro-inflammatory response as an important mechanism for this in the majority of these studies. However, further interpretation of this body of work was limited by heterogeneity between studies and small sample sizes. Conclusions GEP in malaria is a potentially powerful tool, but to date studies have been hypothesis generating with small sample sizes and widely varying methodology. As CHMI studies are increasingly performed in endemic settings, there will be growing opportunity to use GEP to understand detailed time-course changes in host response and understand in greater detail the mechanisms of NAI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne H Hodgson
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Road Building, Off Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK. .,Department of Infectious Diseases & Microbiology, Oxford University Hospitals Trust, Oxford, UK.
| | - Julius Muller
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Road Building, Off Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Helen E Lockstone
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Adrian V S Hill
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Road Building, Off Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kevin Marsh
- Department of Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Simon J Draper
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Road Building, Off Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Julian C Knight
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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16
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Tran TM, Crompton PD. Decoding the complexities of human malaria through systems immunology. Immunol Rev 2019; 293:144-162. [PMID: 31680289 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The complexity of the Plasmodium parasite and its life cycle poses a challenge to our understanding of the host immune response against malaria. Studying human immune responses during natural and experimental Plasmodium infections can enhance our understanding of malaria-protective immunity and inform the design of disease-modifying adjunctive therapies and next-generation malaria vaccines. Systems immunology can complement conventional approaches to facilitate our understanding of the complex immune response to the highly dynamic malaria parasite. In this review, recent studies that used systems-based approaches to evaluate human immune responses during natural and experimental Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections as well as during immunization with candidate malaria vaccines are summarized and related to each other. The potential for next-generation technologies to address the current limitations of systems-based studies of human malaria are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuan M Tran
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.,Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease and Global Health, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Peter D Crompton
- Malaria Infection Biology and Immunity Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
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17
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Loiseau C, Cooper MM, Doolan DL. Deciphering host immunity to malaria using systems immunology. Immunol Rev 2019; 293:115-143. [PMID: 31608461 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A century of conceptual and technological advances in infectious disease research has changed the face of medicine. However, there remains a lack of effective interventions and a poor understanding of host immunity to the most significant and complex pathogens, including malaria. The development of successful interventions against such intractable diseases requires a comprehensive understanding of host-pathogen immune responses. A major advance of the past decade has been a paradigm switch in thinking from the contemporary reductionist (gene-by-gene or protein-by-protein) view to a more holistic (whole organism) view. Also, a recognition that host-pathogen immunity is composed of complex, dynamic interactions of cellular and molecular components and networks that cannot be represented by any individual component in isolation. Systems immunology integrates the field of immunology with omics technologies and computational sciences to comprehensively interrogate the immune response at a systems level. Herein, we describe the system immunology toolkit and report recent studies deploying systems-level approaches in the context of natural exposure to malaria or controlled human malaria infection. We contribute our perspective on the potential of systems immunity for the rational design and development of effective interventions to improve global public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Loiseau
- Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, Australia
| | - Martha M Cooper
- Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, Australia
| | - Denise L Doolan
- Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, Australia
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Hoo R, Bruske E, Dimonte S, Zhu L, Mordmüller B, Sim BKL, Kremsner PG, Hoffman SL, Bozdech Z, Frank M, Preiser PR. Transcriptome profiling reveals functional variation in Plasmodium falciparum parasites from controlled human malaria infection studies. EBioMedicine 2019; 48:442-452. [PMID: 31521613 PMCID: PMC6838377 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The transcriptome of Plasmodium falciparum clinical isolates varies according to strain, mosquito bites, disease severity and clinical history. Therefore, it remains a challenge to directly interpret the parasite's transcriptomic information into a more general biological signature in a natural human malaria infection. These confounding variations can be potentially overcome with parasites derived from controlled-human malaria infection (CHMI) studies. METHODS We performed CHMI studies in healthy and immunologically naïve volunteers receiving the same P. falciparum strain ((Sanaria® PfSPZ Challenge (NF54)), but with different sporozoite dosage and route of infection. Parasites isolated from these volunteers at the day of patency were subjected to in vitro culture for several generations and synchronized ring-stage parasites were subjected to transcriptome profiling. FINDINGS We observed clear deviations between CHMI-derived parasites from volunteer groups receiving different PfSPZ dose and route. CHMI-derived parasites and the pre-mosquito strain used for PfSPZ generation showed significant transcriptional variability for gene clusters associated with malaria pathogenesis, immune evasion and transmission. These transcriptional variation signature clusters were also observed in the transcriptome of P. falciparum isolates from acute clinical infections. INTERPRETATION Our work identifies a previously unrecognized transcriptional pattern in malaria infections in a non-immune background. Significant transcriptome heterogeneity exits between parasites derived from human infections and the pre-mosquito strain, implying that the malaria parasites undergo a change in functional state to adapt to its host environment. Our work also highlights the potential use of transcriptomics data from CHMI study advance our understanding of malaria parasite adaptation and transmission in humans. FUND: This work is supported by German Israeli Foundation, German ministry for education and research, MOE Tier 1 from the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund, Singapore Ministry of Health's National Medical Research Council, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, USA and the German Centre for Infection Research (Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung-DZIF).
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Hoo
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Ellen Bruske
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Wilhelmstr. 27, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sandra Dimonte
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Wilhelmstr. 27, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lei Zhu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Benjamin Mordmüller
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Wilhelmstr. 27, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Infection Research, partner site Tübingen, Germany
| | - B Kim Lee Sim
- Sanaria Inc, 9800 Medical Center Dr A209, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Peter G Kremsner
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Wilhelmstr. 27, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, BP 242 Lambaréné, Gabon
| | | | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Matthias Frank
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Wilhelmstr. 27, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Peter R Preiser
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
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19
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Tran TM, Bijker EM, Haks MC, Ottenhoff THM, Visser L, Schats R, Venepally P, Lorenzi H, Crompton PD, Sauerwein RW. Whole-blood transcriptomic signatures induced during immunization by chloroquine prophylaxis and Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8386. [PMID: 31182757 PMCID: PMC6557840 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44924-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A highly effective vaccine that confers sterile protection to malaria is urgently needed. Immunization under chemoprophylaxis with sporozoites (CPS) consistently confers high levels of protection in the Controlled Human Malaria infection (CHMI) model. To provide a broad, unbiased assessment of the composition and kinetics of direct ex vivo human immune responses to CPS, we profiled whole-blood transcriptomes by RNA-seq before and during CPS immunization and following CHMI challenge. Differential expression of genes enriched in modules related to T cells, NK cells, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial processes were detected in fully protected individuals four weeks after the first immunization. Non-protected individuals demonstrated transcriptomic changes after the third immunization and the day of treatment, with upregulation of interferon and innate inflammatory genes and downregulation of B-cell signatures. Protected individuals demonstrated more significant interactions between blood transcription modules compared to non-protected individuals several weeks after the second and third immunizations. These data provide insight into the molecular and cellular basis of CPS-induced immune protection from P. falciparum infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuan M Tran
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Else M Bijker
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mariëlle C Haks
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Tom H M Ottenhoff
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Leo Visser
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Remko Schats
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Pratap Venepally
- Department of Infectious Diseases, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Hernan Lorenzi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter D Crompton
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.
| | - Robert W Sauerwein
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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20
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Abstract
In the progression of the life cycle of Plasmodium falciparum, a small proportion of asexual parasites differentiate into male or female sexual forms called gametocytes. Just like their asexual counterparts, gametocytes are contained within the infected host's erythrocytes (RBCs). However, unlike their asexual partners, they do not exit the RBC until they are taken up in a blood meal by a mosquito. In the mosquito midgut, they are stimulated to emerge from the RBC, undergo fertilization, and ultimately produce tens of thousands of sporozoites that are infectious to humans. This transmission cycle can be blocked by antibodies targeting proteins exposed on the parasite surface in the mosquito midgut, a process that has led to the development of candidate transmission-blocking vaccines (TBV), including some that are in clinical trials. Here we review the leading TBV antigens and highlight the ongoing search for additional gametocyte/gamete surface antigens, as well as antigens on the surfaces of gametocyte-infected erythrocytes, which can potentially become a new group of TBV candidates.
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