Rhoptry proteins are involved in sporozoite invasion of the mosquito salivary gland

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24390101
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Parasitology (including Sanitary zoology)
• Research Institution: Ehime University
• Principal Investigator: TORII MOTOMI 愛媛大学, プロテオサイエンスセンター, 教授 (20164072)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): ISHINO Tomoko 愛媛大学, プロテオサイエンスセンター, 准教授 (40402680)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 寄生虫 / マラリア / 感染 / 侵入 / スポロゾイト / 媒介蚊

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this project, we intended to elucidate the function of secretory proteins localized to sporozoite rhoptries during the host invasion process. We identified that 8 secretory proteins are expressed in sporozoites and localized to rhoptries by immuno-electron microscopic analysis. Since most of rhoptry proteins have been believed to be essential for blood stage parasite proliferation, we generated “sporozoite stage-specific gene silencing parasites” by promoter swapping technique in order to analyze their functions during sporozoite development and/ or invasion of the mosquito salivary glands. As a result, we demonstrated that 5 rhoptry proteins play an important role in the mosquito salivary gland invasion by sporozoites.

Free Research Field

寄生虫学