Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Aleena Das, Welka Sahu, Deepak Kumar Ojha, K. Sony Reddy, Mrutyunjay Suar
Summary: An untargeted metabolomics approach was used to identify the changes in metabolic pathways and metabolites in the serum of mice with different pathological stages of malaria. The study provides insights into the host biology during malaria and could be helpful for the selection of animal models for evaluating diagnostic and therapeutic interventions against malaria.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Hong Zheng, Xiao Lu, Kai Li, Feng Zhu, Chenhao Zhao, Taiping Liu, Yan Ding, Yong Fu, Kun Zhang, Taoli Zhou, Jigang Dai, Yuzhang Wu, Wenyue Xu
Summary: This study revealed an unrecognized role of the sporozoite circumsporozoite protein (CSP) in subverting host innate immunity against liver stage malaria parasite. CSP reduced the levels of autophagy-related genes (ATGs) in hepatocytes, attenuating the killing effect of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) on exo-erythrocytic forms (EEFs).
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Danielle Stanisic, Mei-Fong Ho, Reshma Nevagi, Emily Cooper, Maddison Walton, Md Tanjir Islam, Waleed M. Hussein, Mariusz Skwarczynski, Istvan Toth, Michael F. Good
Summary: Malaria vaccine research has shifted towards whole-parasite vaccines, which present a broad repertoire of antigens to the immune system to limit antigenic polymorphism. This study developed an enhanced liposomal vaccine that induced protective immune responses in mice and strong cellular immune responses, making significant progress towards evaluating the vaccine in clinical trials.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jack Adderley, Christian Doerig
Summary: This study fills gaps in the kinomes of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, highlighting their similarities and differences for target selection. It also identifies kinases that are not suitable targets for drug discovery due to their high similarity with human counterparts.
Article
Immunology
Sourbh Rankawat, Kavita Kundal, Shreyayukta Chakraborty, Rahul Kumar, Sandipan Ray
Summary: Research has shown that the transcript level of blood proteins associated with immune responses and susceptibility to malaria exhibit rhythmic patterns. These rhythmic proteins are involved in multiple physiological pathways related to host immune and defense responses. The findings demonstrate the circadian regulation of host immune pathways and immunological networks in malaria.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Christine S. Hopp, Sachie Kanatani, Nathan K. Archer, Robert J. Miller, Haiyun Liu, Kevin K. Chiou, Lloyd S. Miller, Photini Sinnis
Summary: This study provides the first characterization of P. falciparum sporozoites in vivo and compares their motility in mouse skin and human skin xenografts with two rodent malaria species. The findings suggest that the skin is not a species-specific barrier for Plasmodium, and antibodies targeting sporozoites significantly impact their motility in mouse skin. The research showcases a potential in vivo platform that could aid in preclinical screening of next-generation vaccines for human malaria parasites.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Tobias Mourier, Denise Anete Madureira de Alvarenga, Abhinav Kaushik, Anielle de Pina-Costa, Olga Douvropoulou, Qingtian Guan, Francisco J. Guzman-Vega, Sarah Forrester, Filipe Vieira Santos de Abreu, Cesare Bianco Junior, Julio Cesar de Souza Junior, Silvia Bahadian Moreira, Zelinda Maria Braga Hirano, Alcides Pissinatti, Maria de Fatima Ferreira-da-Cruz, Ricardo Lourenco de Oliveira, Stefan T. Arold, Daniel C. Jeffares, Patricia Brasil, Cristiana Ferreira Alves de Brito, Richard Culleton, Claudio Tadeu Daniel-Ribeiro, Arnab Pain
Summary: Plasmodium simium, a malaria parasite of non-human primates, likely originated in South America from Plasmodium vivax and has recently acquired the ability to infect humans. Genetic analysis suggests that specific gene deletions in P. simium, especially in the Duffy-binding protein 1 (DBP1), may play a role in its ability to invade human red blood cells, leading to recent zoonotic infections.
Article
Immunology
Luoluo Wang, Jian Wu, Runzhou Liu, Wenjun Chen, Zhichang Pang, Fan Zhou, Lu Xia, Jia Huang, Tao Pan, Xin-zhuan Su, Xiaoyun Wang
Summary: Malaria parasite infection significantly alters m(6)A mRNA modification and gene expression in the host spleen, and reprograms host immune response pathways by regulating m(6)A modification enzymes. This study represents the first characterization of host spleen m(6)A methylome triggered by malaria parasite infections, highlighting the importance of m(6)A modifications in host-parasite interactions.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Wanlapa Roobsoong, Anjali Yadava, Simon J. Draper, Angela M. Minassian, Jetsumon Sattabongkot
Summary: Controlled Human Malaria Infection models (CHMI) are crucial for advancing malaria vaccines. However, the difficulty in producing the Plasmodium vivax parasite in vitro has limited the production of qualified parasites for CHMI and screening potential vaccines to combat this globally distributed parasite. This article discusses the challenges, lessons learned, and the way forward in effectively performing PvCHMI to support vaccine development.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Jessica Poole, Lauren E. Hartley-Tassell, Christopher J. Day, Danielle Stanisic, Penny L. Groves, Sumana Chakravarty, B. Kim Lee Sim, Stephen L. Hoffman, Joe Tiralongo, Nicolai Bovin, Denise L. Doolan, Michael P. Jennings
Summary: The transmission of Plasmodium spp. sporozoites to the mammalian host is crucial for the development of malaria, yet the exact route of transmission and the host glycan structures involved are not fully understood. By analyzing the glycan structures recognized and bound by sporozoites from P. falciparum and P. yoelii, this study identified key host glycan structures for human and rodent Plasmodium spp. sporozoites. Understanding how these sporozoites interact with specific glycan structures could offer insight into the infectious disease and aid in the development of effective therapeutics.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Natalie A. Counihan, Joyanta K. Modak, Tania F. de Koning-Ward
Summary: Plasmodium parasites residing within erythrocytes require essential nutrients like isoleucine, which they cannot synthesize themselves. To overcome this limitation, the parasites increase the permeability of the erythrocyte membrane and utilize new permeation pathways. Additionally, nutrient channels need to cross the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and the parasite plasma membrane to access the parasite, making components of these pathways potential drug targets for fighting malaria.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Clare K. Cimperman, Mirna Pena, Sohret M. Gokcek, Brandon P. Theall, Meha V. Patel, Anisha Sharma, ChenFeng Qi, Daniel Sturdevant, Louis H. Miller, Patrick L. Collins, Susan K. Pierce, Munir Akkaya
Summary: Hundreds of thousands of lives are lost each year due to brain damage caused by malaria. The majority of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan African children. Host genetic background plays a crucial role in determining the course and outcome of the disease.
Article
Biology
Abhinay Ramaprasad, Severina Klaus, Olga Douvropoulou, Richard Culleton, Arnab Pain
Summary: Through extensive genetic and phenotype analysis of P. vinckei, it was found that the five subspecies have diverged widely and undergone large-scale genome rearrangements. Region-specific selection pressures were observed particularly on genes involved in mosquito transmission. The highland forest subspecies P. v. vinckei has a smaller genome and reduced multigene family repertoire, making it suitable for transfection and ideal for reverse genetics research. Amenable to genetic crosses, P. vinckei isolates show a large degree of phenotypic and genotypic diversity. Their inclusion in studies provides new insights into the evolution of RMPs and multigene families, making them valuable resources for research on parasite virulence and immunogenicity.
Article
Microbiology
Kelly T. Rios, Taylor M. Dickson, Scott E. Lindner
Summary: In this study, we have identified a significant problem in the conduct of many studies on the sexual stages of rodent malaria parasites. The routine method of isolating gametocytes in rodent-infectious malaria models through drug treatment with sulfadiazine not only kills asexual blood-stage parasites but also has a substantial impact on host-to-vector transmission.
Article
Microbiology
Gunjan Arora, Andaleeb Sajid, Yu-Min Chuang, Yuemei Dong, Akash Gupta, Kristen Gambardella, Kathleen DePonte, Lionel Almeras, George Dimopolous, Erol Fikrig
Summary: Malaria is a vector-borne disease caused by Plasmodium sporozoites, and mosquito saliva proteins can influence pathogen transmission and early infection. Anopheles gambiae Sporozoite-Associated Protein (AgSAP) interacts directly with Plasmodium sporozoites, inhibits inflammatory responses, and plays a role in early infection modulation. Individuals in endemic malaria regions generate antibodies against AgSAP, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for disease prevalence and epidemiological analysis.
Review
Parasitology
Debanjan Mukherjee, Angelo Ferreira Chora, Maria M. Mota
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Lakshmi Balasubramanian, Vanessa Zuzarte-Luis, Tabish Syed, Debakshi Mullick, Saptarathi Deb, Harish Ranga-Prasad, Jana Meissner, Ana Almeida, Tobias Furstenhaupt, Kaleem Siddiqi, Miguel Prudencio, Cecilia M. P. Rodrigues, Maria Mota, Varadharajan Sundaramurthy
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Editorial Material
Immunology
Marc Veldhoen, Vanessa Zuzarte-Luis
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hua Huang, Vanessa Zuzarte-Luis, Gabriela Fragoso, Annie Calve, Tuan Anh Hoang, Manon Oliero, Genevieve Chabot-Roy, Victor Mullins-Dansereau, Sylvie Lesage, Manuela M. Santos
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Biology
Sonali Setua, Francisco J. Enguita, Angelo Ferreira Chora, Harish Ranga-prasad, Aparajita Lahree, Sofia Marques, Varadharajan Sundaramurthy, Maria M. Mota
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Luisa Canto e Castro, Andreia Gomes, Marta Serrano, Ana Helena Guia Pereira, Rita Ribeiro, Patricia Napoleao, Ines Domingues, Claudia Silva, Julia Fanczal, Angela Afonso, Andreia Lopes, Ionela Toader, Maria Jose Rego de Sousa, Jose Germano Rego de Sousa, Germano de Sousa, Maria M. Mota, Bruno Silva-Santos, Marc Veldhoen, Ruy M. Ribeiro
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal, there were three waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study found a significant increase in seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the Portuguese population from September 2020 to March 2021, indicating long-lasting infection immunity. Additionally, vaccinated individuals had higher levels of antibodies compared to those previously infected after 3 weeks post-vaccination.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Viriato M'Bana, Aparajita Lahree, Sofia Marques, Ksenija Slavic, Maria M. Mota
Summary: The UIS4 protein interacts with host cell actin, suppressing filamentous actin formation to avoid parasite elimination. Host cell actin dynamics increase around UIS4-deficient parasites, leading to parasite elimination.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amichay Afriat, Vanessa Zuzarte-Luis, Keren Bahar Halpern, Lisa Buchauer, Sofia Marques, Angelo Ferreira Chora, Aparajita Lahree, Ido Amit, Maria M. Mota, Shalev Itzkovitz
Summary: This study characterized the temporal expression programs of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei ANKA and the host hepatocyte in a zonally controlled manner using single-cell RNA sequencing and single-molecule transcript imaging. The study identified differences in parasite gene expression in distinct zones and identified a subpopulation of hepatocytes with reduced levels of Plasmodium transcripts and parasitophorous vacuole breakdown. These findings provide insights into the liver stage of Plasmodium infection.
Review
Parasitology
Aparajita Lahree, Joao Mello-Vieira, Maria M. Mota
Summary: Malaria is a febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites, which infect erythrocytes and lead to clinical symptoms and pathology. Understanding the metabolism of liver-stage parasites is crucial for identifying cellular pathways essential for infection and developing treatments. This review provides a summary of current knowledge on nutrient acquisition and biosynthesis by liver-stage parasites, highlighting gaps in knowledge and challenges in this field.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Ines M. Marreiros, Sofia Marques, Ana Parreira, Vincent Mastrodomenico, Bryan C. Mounce, Chantal T. Harris, Bjoern F. Kafsack, Oliver Billker, Vanessa Zuzarte-Luis, Maria M. Mota
Summary: Plasmodium parasites rely on an efficient sensing pathway to respond to amino acid fluctuations. The nek4, eIK1, and eIK2 sensor kinases play a key role in Plasmodium amino acid sensing, enabling these parasites to fine-tune replication and development in response to amino acid availability. This complex mechanism is critical for modulating parasite growth and survival.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Luisa Canto e Castro, Ana Helena Guia Pereira, Rita Ribeiro, Catarina Alves, Luis Veloso, Vera Vicente, Dalila Alves, Ines Domingues, Claudia Silva, Andreia Gomes, Marta Serrano, Angela Afonso, Marc Veldhoen, Maria Jose Rego de Sousa, Jose Germano Rego de Sousa, Germano de Sousa, Maria M. Mota, Bruno Silva-Santos, Ruy M. Ribeiro
Summary: A study conducted in Portugal in September 2020 found a seroprevalence of 2.2% for antibodies against the coronavirus, which was 3-4 times larger than the official number of cases at the end of the first wave of the pandemic, indicating a higher number of infections than previously reported.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joao Mello-Vieira, Francisco J. Enguita, Tania F. de Koning-Ward, Vanessa Zuzarte-Luis, Maria M. Mota
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
