Tools for Genomic Investigations of Plasmodium vivax

描述(申请人提供)：在导致人类疟疾的四种物种中，恶性疟原虫和间日疟原虫占90%以上的病例。尽管间日疟的流行程度比以前低得多，但据估计，每年有7000万至8000万人受到影响，主要分布在亚洲、美洲和西太平洋地区，因此使其成为分布最广泛的疟原虫物种。由于缺乏研究间日疟原虫的简便工具，对间日疟原虫的研究严重滞后。间日疟原虫基因组序列即将完成，覆盖率为10倍。然而，目前还没有利用基因组序列进行分子遗传学研究的工具。为了启动这些研究，该项目将开发基于印刷长寡核苷酸平台的DNA微阵列技术。将开发和传播最佳使用这些微阵列的方法。随着间日疟研究进入后基因组时代，这些工具将在间日疟研究中具有很高的价值。公共卫生相关性：间日疟原虫引起的疟疾是一个主要的公共卫生问题。这种寄生虫的基因组测序现已接近完成，但目前还没有利用这些信息设计出控制间日疟的改进方法的工具。该项目旨在创建这样的工具，将向研究界广泛提供。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Of the four species causing human malaria, Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax are responsible for more than 90% of the cases. Although much less prevalent than earlier times, vivax malaria is estimated to affect 70-80 million people each year, mainly in Asia, the Americas, and the Western Pacific region, thus making it the most widespread Plasmodium species. Investigations on P. vivax have lagged significantly because of the unavailability of facile tools for studying this parasite. The genome sequence of P. vivax is about to be completed at 10x coverage. However, tools to take advantage of the genomic sequence for molecular genetic studies are not available at present. To initiate such studies, this project will develop DNA microarray technology based on printed long oligonucleotide platform. Methods for optimal use of these microarrays will be developed and disseminated. These tools will be highly valuable in vivax malaria research as the field enters post-genomic era. Public Health Relevance: Malaria due to Plasmodium vivax is a major public health problem. Genomic sequencing of this parasite is now nearing completion, but tools to use this information to devise improved means to control vivax malaria are not available at present. This project aims to create such tools which will be made widely available to the research community.