Improvement of in vitro malaria sporozoite culture technique using a malaria transcription factor

• Project/Area Number: 26670200
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Parasitology (including sanitary zoology)
• Research Institution: Mie University
• Principal Investigator: yuda masao 三重大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (90293779)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
• Keywords: マラリア / スポロゾイト / オオシスト / 転写因子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We generated transgenic parasites expressing a transcription factor under control of the promoter highly active in the early oocyst stage and examined if the induction promotes development of oocysts in vitro. In the culture of the transgenic parasites significant enlargement of oocysts diameter was observed compared to wild-type parasites, but effects of the induction on the progress of nuclear division were not clear. ChIP-seq analysis of the target genes of this transcription factor in the early oocyst stage showed that this transcription factor regulates numbers of genes related to protein synthesis but few genes required for nuclear division. The results suggested that effects of induction of the transcription factor are not sufficient for promoting sporozoite production and that induction of another transcription factor may be necessary to promote oocyst development and sporozoite production in vitro.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Global transcriptional repression: An initial and essential step for Plasmodium sexual development (2015)
  • Author(s): Yuda M, Iwanaga S, Kaneko I, Kato T.
  • Journal Title: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Volume: 112 Issue: 41 Pages: 12824-12829
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1504389112
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Genome-Wide Identification of the Target Genes of AP2-O, a Plasmodium AP2-Family Transcription Factor (2015)
  • Author(s): Yuda M, Iwanaga S, Kaneko I, Kato T
  • Journal Title: PLoS Pathog Volume: 11 Issue: 5 Pages: 1-27
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004905
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access