IMMUNE RESPONSES TO PLASMODIUM IN ANOPHELES GAMBIAE

疟疾，一种由寄生原生动物引起的疾病， 疟原虫是由蚊子传播给人类的。 每年，数百 的人感染了这种生物体， 导致死亡，其中大部分是幼儿。 问题是最严重的 在非洲，由于非洲人越来越多的抵抗， 用于预防和控制的廉价药物， 过去 第二个重要的控制策略是减少蚊子 由于使用杀虫剂， 杀虫剂抗药性、成本增加和训练有素的人员流失。 一个新的研究目标是蚊子和蚊子之间的相互作用， 还有寄生虫 本研究的长期目标是 了解蚊子之间不相容的分子基础 和疟疾寄生虫，因为这可能表明， 通过遗传或化学导致不相容性的机制 操纵病媒蚊子。 拟议的研究将侧重于 描述了与蚊子的免疫系统有关的蛋白质和基因， 体液免疫反应，这可能导致寄生虫死亡。 两 参与黑化和杀死动合子的蛋白质， 冈比亚按蚊将被克隆和鉴定， 使用病毒转导系统的寄生虫黑化。 其他蛋白质 与寄生虫反应有关的基因 通过电泳分析体内放射性标记的 多肽和mRNA分子的差异显示 寄生虫感染和体液免疫反应。 这些分子将 在体外表征和测试杀寄生虫能力， in vivo.

Malaria, a disease caused by parasitic protozoans in the genus Plasmodium, is transmitted by mosquitoes to humans. Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with this organism and 2-3 million fatalities result, mostly in young children. The problem is most severe in Africa, and is now worsening because of the increasing resistance of parasites to the inexpensive drugs used for prevention and control in the past. A second important strategy for control, reducing mosquito populations through insecticide use, is also threatened because of insecticide resistance, increasing costs and loss of trained personnel. A new target for research has been the interaction between the mosquito and the parasite. The long-term goal of the research presented here is to understand the molecular basis for incompatibility between mosquitoes and malaria parasites because this may suggest ways to enhance mechanisms that cause incompatibility through genetic or chemical manipulation of vector mosquitoes. The proposed research will focus on characterizing proteins and genes that are involved in the mosquito's humoral immune responses, which can lead to the death of parasites. Two proteins that are involved in melanization and killing of ookinetes in Anopheles gambiaewill be cloned and characterized and will be tested for parasite melanization using viral transduction systems. Other proteins and genes that are involved in the responses to parasites will be identified by electrophoretic analysis of in vivo radiolabeled polypeptides and differential display of mRNA molecules produced during parasite infections and humoral immune responses. These molecules will be characterized and tested for parasite-killing ability in vitro and in vivo.