Application of gene transformation technologies to the functional analysis of immunomodulation in Plasmodium

基因转化技术在疟原虫免疫调节功能分析中的应用

• 批准号: G0600845/1
• 负责人: Joanne Thompson
• 金额: $ 55.03万
• 依托单位: University of Edinburgh
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2007 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=G0600845%2F1
• 关键词: Application; gene; transformation; technologies; functional

Malaria is the most lethal human parasitic disease, causing more than 2 million deaths annually. Efforts to develop effective anti-malarial therapies have been hindered by an incomplete understanding of how parasites have adapted to proliferate so effectively whilst also evading immune responses. The rodent parasite, Plasmodium chabaudi, provides the best available experimental model for addressing these questions but, until now the lack of gene modification technologies for this parasite has precluded direct functional studies on the gene products that are implicated. In a recent pilot study we have established the conditions for Plasmoduim chabaudi genetic modification and have successfully generated the first fluorescent parasites. These and other parasite lines will immediately be an invaluable tool in experiments that will visualise live interactions between parasite and host immune cells and tissues and that will examine host responses to specific parasite proteins in an in vivo setting.

疟疾是最致命的人类寄生虫病，每年造成200多万人死亡。由于对寄生虫如何适应如此有效地繁殖同时也逃避免疫反应的不完全理解，开发有效的抗疟疾疗法的努力受到了阻碍。啮齿动物寄生虫查鲍迪疟原虫为解决这些问题提供了最好的实验模型，但到目前为止，这种寄生虫的基因修饰技术的缺乏阻碍了对相关基因产物的直接功能研究。在最近的一项初步研究中，我们已经建立了对查鲍迪血浆进行基因改造的条件，并成功地产生了第一种荧光寄生虫。这些和其他寄生虫品系将立即成为实验中的宝贵工具，这些实验将可视化寄生虫与宿主免疫细胞和组织之间的实时相互作用，并将在体内环境中检查宿主对特定寄生虫蛋白的反应。