Stress and sex in malaria parasites: Why does commitment vary?
Stress and sex in malaria parasites: Why does commitment vary?
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DOI：
10.1093/emph/eot011
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发表时间：
2013-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Reece SE
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Carter LM;Kafsack BF;Llinás M;Mideo N;Pollitt LC;Reece SE
对于疟疾等病媒传播的寄生虫，宿主内和宿主间的过程如何相互作用以形成传播还知之甚少。在宿主体内，疟原虫进行无性繁殖，但为了进行传播，必须产生专门的有性阶段（配子体）。尽管配子体在疾病传播中发挥着重要作用，但对寄生虫为什么会调节配子体产生以响应宿主内因素的解释仍然存在争议。我们认为，进化理论的发展，以解释在多细胞生物的生殖努力的变化，提供了一个框架，以了解配子体投资策略。我们研究了为什么寄生虫调整投资配子体根据不断变化的条件对他们在宿主中的生存的影响。然后，我们概述了所需的实验，以确定是否在配子体投资的可塑性，使寄生虫在一个可变的环境中保持健身。配子细胞是抗疟疾传播阻断干预措施的目标，因此了解投资的可塑性对于在面对寄生虫进化时最大限度地提高控制措施的成功至关重要。
For vector-borne parasites such as malaria, how within- and between-host processes interact to shape transmission is poorly understood. In the host, malaria parasites replicate asexually but for transmission to occur, specialized sexual stages (gametocytes) must be produced. Despite the central role that gametocytes play in disease transmission, explanations of why parasites adjust gametocyte production in response to in-host factors remain controversial. We propose that evolutionary theory developed to explain variation in reproductive effort in multicellular organisms, provides a framework to understand gametocyte investment strategies. We examine why parasites adjust investment in gametocytes according to the impact of changing conditions on their in-host survival. We then outline experiments required to determine whether plasticity in gametocyte investment enables parasites to maintain fitness in a variable environment. Gametocytes are a target for anti-malarial transmission-blocking interventions so understanding plasticity in investment is central to maximizing the success of control measures in the face of parasite evolution.