Transcriptomes and Proteomes of Plasmodium Vivax

 描述（由申请人提供）：间日疟原虫是第二流行且地理分布最广的疟疾寄生虫，在受影响人群中造成巨大的发病率和死亡率。对间日疟原虫疟疾的研究明显滞后，很大程度上是由于缺乏连续的体外培养系统。这种寄生虫选择性地侵入网织红细胞，使得长期培养变得困难。负责传播的间日疟原虫配子细胞是在临床症状出现之前产生的。尽管第一个间日疟原虫基因组于2008年发表，但缺乏对无性红细胞周期的转录组和蛋白质组的系统比较，而且我们对间日疟原虫配子体的发育生物学知之甚少。该项目基于研究这种寄生虫肝脏阶段的人源化小鼠模型的最新进展以及我们改进的同步血液阶段体外培养技术，旨在分别使用 RNA 测序和质谱技术确定间日疟原虫无性红细胞发育和配子细胞发生过程中的时间转录组和蛋白质组。这项研究产生的全面转录组和蛋白质组数据将使系统生物学方法能够解决这种被忽视的疟原虫无性和有性发育的基本生物学问题。该信息也被认为对于发现阻断间日疟原虫传播的新药物和疫苗至关重要。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Plasmodium vivax is the second most prevalent and the most geographically widespread malaria parasite, causing enormous morbidity and mortality in affected populations. Research on P. vivax malaria has lagged significantly behind, largely due to the lack of a continuous in vitro culture system. This parasite selectively invades reticulocytes, making long-term culture difficult. P. vivax gametocytes, which are responsible for transmission, are produced before the onset of the clinical symptoms. Though the first P. vivax genome was published in 2008, systematic comparison of the transcriptomes and proteomes of the asexual erythrocytic cycle is lacking and we know little about the developmental biology of P. vivax gametocytes. This project, built on recent advancement in humanized mouse model to study the liver stages of this parasite and our improved in vitro culture techniques for synchronous blood stages, aims to determine the temporal transcriptomes and proteomes during P. vivax asexual erythrocytic development and gametocytogenesis using RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry technologies, respectively. The comprehensive transcriptomic and proteomic data generated from this study will enable systems biology approaches to address the fundamental biology of asexual and sexual development of this neglected malaria parasite. This information is also deemed critical for the discovery of novel drugs and vaccines for the interruption of P. vivax transmission.