Inducible developmental reprogramming redefines commitment to sexual development in the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei

Kent, Robyn S. and Modrzynska, Katarzyna K. and Cameron, Rachael and Philip, Nisha and Billker, Oliver and Waters, Andrew P. (2018) Inducible developmental reprogramming redefines commitment to sexual development in the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. Archives of Microbiology. ISSN 1432-072X (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0223-6)

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Abstract

During malaria infection, Plasmodium spp. parasites cyclically invade red blood cells and can follow two different developmental pathways. They can either replicate asexually to sustain the infection, or differentiate into gametocytes, the sexual stage that can be taken up by mosquitoes, ultimately leading to disease transmission. Despite its importance for malaria control, the process of gametocytogenesis remains poorly understood, partially due to the difficulty of generating high numbers of sexually committed parasites in laboratory conditions1. Recently, an apicomplexa-specific transcription factor (AP2-G) was identified as necessary for gametocyte production in multiple Plasmodium species2,3, and suggested to be an epigenetically regulated master switch that initiates gametocytogenesis4,5. Here we show that in a rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei, conditional overexpression of AP2-G can be used to synchronously convert the great majority of the population into fertile gametocytes. This discovery allowed us to redefine the time frame of sexual commitment, identify a number of putative AP2-G targets and chart the sequence of transcriptional changes through gametocyte development, including the observation that gender-specific transcription occurred within 6 h of induction. These data provide entry points for further detailed characterization of the key process required for malaria transmission.

  • Item type:Article
    ID code:65474
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    3 September 2018
    Published
    3 September 2018
    Published Online
    24 July 2018
    Accepted
    Notes:This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Archives of Microbiology. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0223-6
    Subjects:Science > Microbiology
    Department:Faculty of Science > Pure and Applied Chemistry
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:19 Sep 2018 08:08
    Last modified:14 Apr 2024 05:06
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/65474
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