Genetic diversity in virulence genes of Plasmodium falciparum

恶性疟原虫毒力基因的遗传多样性

• 批准号: 7360009
• 负责人: Laura Kirkman
• 金额: $ 13.1万
• 依托单位: WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-01-15 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7360009
• 关键词: Antigenic Variation; Area; Biological; Biology; Class; Clinical; Code; Communicable Diseases; Complement; DNA Damage; DNA Repair; Data; Disease Outbreaks; Double Strand Break Repair; Erythrocytes; Gene Conversion; Gene Family; Generations; Genes; Genetic; Genetic Recombination; Genetic Variation; Genotype; Goals; Hospitals; Immune response; Immune system; Infection; Internal Medicine; Intervention; Investigation; Malaria; Medical center; Membrane Proteins; Molecular; Molecular Biology; New York; Parasites; Pathogenesis; Patients; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Plasmodium falciparum; Play; Presbyterian Church; Principal Investigator; Program Development; Property; Research; Research Personnel; Research Proposals; Role; Sampling; Sorting - Cell Movement; Staging; Surveys; Testing; Time; Training; Training Programs; Transgenic Organisms; Tropical Medicine; Vaccines; Virulence; Virulence Factors; Work; career; design; genetic analysis; genetic manipulation; in vivo; programs; promoter; recombinational repair; repaired; response; skills

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The following proposal describes a five-year training program for the development of an academic career in Infectious Diseases. The principal investigator has completed her clinical training in Internal Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital and Infectious Diseases at New York Presbyterian, Weill Cornell Medical Center. She now aims to develop her research skills studying the molecular biology of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum with the long term goal of establishing an independent research program combining tropical medicine and molecular biology. The principal investigator has developed a customized research proposal integrating molecular biology of DNA repair and the study of tropical medicine. This proposal will further the understanding of antigenic variation in malaria by integrating the study of the parasite mechanisms for DNA recombination and repair and the genetic analysis of field isolates. Dr. Kirk Deitsch will serve as sponsor and is a leader in the genetic manipulations of P. falciparum. This program is enhanced by the co-sponsorship of Dr. William Holloman, his expertise in DNA recombination and repair enhances both the proposed work and the training of the principal investigator. Research will focus on the var genes that encode PfEMP1, the primary surface protein implicated in antigenic variation of P. falciparum. This surface protein also determines the cytoadherent properties of an infected red cell, a known virulence factor in P. falciparum infection. Surveys of clinical samples have shown that var genes are extremely diverse genetically. Each parasite isolate contains a complement of -60 var genes that is unique, thus giving each parasite its own distinct repertoire of antigenic molecules. How this extreme diversity is generated has not been extensively explored and is the focus of this research proposal. Transgenic parasite lines will be used to directly study different mechanisms of DNA recombination and repair in P. falciparum. Our transgenic parasite lines have been designed so that we can target DNA damage for repair analysis to var gene coding regions or drug selectable markers driven by var gene promoters. In this way, we will be able to study how DNA damage and subsequent repair may contribute to the generation of diversity in this important gene family. The study of var gene changes in field samples will complement our data generated from the study of transgenic parasites. Relevance: Appreciation of the mechanisms that generates diversity in this key parasite surface protein is fundamental to understanding the pathogenesis of P. falciparum infections. Further investigation of the host immune response to malaria infection and how the parasite is able to adapt to this response is important in directing intervention efforts, ie vaccines, and findings ways reduce the burden of malaria worldwide.

描述（由申请人提供）：以下提案描述了一项为期五年的培训计划，以开发传染病的学术职业。这位主要研究人员已经完成了她在耶鲁纽黑文医院的内科临床培训，并在纽约长老会Weill Cornell医疗中心完成了传染病。她现在的目标是发展研究疟原虫疟原虫恶性疟原虫分子生物学的研究技能，其长期目标是建立一个将热带医学和分子生物学结合的独立研究计划。首席研究者已经开发了一项定制的研究建议，该建议整合了DNA修复的分子生物学和热带医学研究。 该建议将通过整合寄生虫重组和修复的寄生虫机制以及田间分离株的遗传分析来进一步理解疟疾的抗原变异。柯克·迪茨（Kirk Deitsch）博士将担任赞助商，并且是恶性疟原虫遗传操纵的领导者。威廉·霍洛曼（William Holloman）博士的共同赞助增强了该计划，他在DNA重组和维修方面的专业知识增强了拟议的工作和主要研究人员的培训。 研究将集中于编码PFEMP1的VAR基因，PFEMP1是涉及恶性疟原虫抗原变异的主要表面蛋白。该表面蛋白还确定了感染的红细胞的细胞加成特性，这是恶性疟原虫感染中已知的毒力因子。对临床样本的调查表明，VAR基因在遗传上非常多样化。每个寄生虫分离物都包含一个独特的-60 var基因的补体，因此使每个寄生虫具有自己独特的抗原分子库。如何产生这种极端多样性，尚未得到广泛的探索，这是该研究建议的重点。转基因寄生虫系将用于直接研究恶性疟原虫中DNA重组和修复的不同机制。我们的转基因寄生虫系已被设计，以便我们可以将DNA损伤靶向VAR基因编码区域或由VAR基因启动子驱动的药物可选标记物的DNA损伤。这样，我们将能够研究DNA损伤和随后的维修如何有助于这个重要的基因家族的多样性产生。对田间样品的VAR基因变化的研究将补充我们从转基因寄生虫研究中产生的数据。 相关性：对在此关键寄生虫表面蛋白中产生多样性的机制的欣赏对于理解恶性疟原虫感染的发病机理至关重要。进一步研究宿主对疟疾感染的免疫反应以及寄生虫如何适应这种反应对于指导干预工作，即疫苗和发现的方式减轻了全球疟疾的负担。