1
|
Su X, Stadler RV, Xu F, Wu J. Malaria Genomics, Vaccine Development, and Microbiome. Pathogens 2023; 12:1061. [PMID: 37624021 PMCID: PMC10459703 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12081061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in malaria genetics and genomics have transformed many aspects of malaria research in areas of molecular evolution, epidemiology, transmission, host-parasite interaction, drug resistance, pathogenicity, and vaccine development. Here, in addition to introducing some background information on malaria parasite biology, parasite genetics/genomics, and genotyping methods, we discuss some applications of genetic and genomic approaches in vaccine development and in studying interactions with microbiota. Genetic and genomic data can be used to search for novel vaccine targets, design an effective vaccine strategy, identify protective antigens in a whole-organism vaccine, and evaluate the efficacy of a vaccine. Microbiota has been shown to influence disease outcomes and vaccine efficacy; studying the effects of microbiota in pathogenicity and immunity may provide information for disease control. Malaria genetics and genomics will continue to contribute greatly to many fields of malaria research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinzhuan Su
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA; (R.V.S.); (F.X.); (J.W.)
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Su XZ, Wu J, Xu F, Pattaradilokrat S. Genetic mapping of determinants in drug resistance, virulence, disease susceptibility, and interaction of host-rodent malaria parasites. Parasitol Int 2022; 91:102637. [PMID: 35926693 PMCID: PMC9452477 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2022.102637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Genetic mapping has been widely employed to search for genes linked to phenotypes/traits of interest. Because of the ease of maintaining rodent malaria parasites in laboratory mice, many genetic crosses of rodent malaria parasites have been performed to map the parasite genes contributing to malaria parasite development, drug resistance, host immune response, and disease pathogenesis. Drs. Richard Carter, David Walliker, and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, UK, were the pioneers in developing the systems for genetic mapping of malaria parasite traits, including characterization of genetic markers to follow the inheritance and recombination of parasite chromosomes and performing the first genetic cross using rodent malaria parasites. Additionally, many genetic crosses of inbred mice have been performed to link mouse chromosomal loci to the susceptibility to malaria parasite infections. In this chapter, we review and discuss past and recent advances in genetic marker development, performing genetic crosses, and genetic mapping of both parasite and host genes. Genetic mappings using models of rodent malaria parasites and inbred mice have contributed greatly to our understanding of malaria, including parasite development within their hosts, mechanism of drug resistance, and host-parasite interaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Zhuan Su
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Jian Wu
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Fangzheng Xu
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pattaradilokrat S, Wu J, Xu F, Su XZ. The origins, isolation, and biological characterization of rodent malaria parasites. Parasitol Int 2022; 91:102636. [PMID: 35926694 PMCID: PMC9465976 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2022.102636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Rodent malaria parasites have been widely used in all aspects of malaria research to study parasite development within rodent and insect hosts, drug resistance, disease pathogenesis, host immune response, and vaccine efficacy. Rodent malaria parasites were isolated from African thicket rats and initially characterized by scientists at the University of Edinburgh, UK, particularly by Drs. Richard Carter, David Walliker, and colleagues. Through their efforts and elegant work, many rodent malaria parasite species, subspecies, and strains are now available. Because of the ease of maintaining these parasites in laboratory mice, genetic crosses can be performed to map the parasite and host genes contributing to parasite growth and disease severity. Recombinant DNA technologies are now available to manipulate the parasite genomes and to study gene functions efficiently. In this chapter, we provide a brief history of the isolation and species identification of rodent malaria parasites. We also discuss some recent studies to further characterize the different developing stages of the parasites including parasite genomes and chromosomes. Although there are differences between rodent and human malaria parasite infections, the knowledge gained from studies of rodent malaria parasites has contributed greatly to our understanding of and the fight against human malaria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jian Wu
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Fangzheng Xu
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Xin-Zhuan Su
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhang C, Oguz C, Huse S, Xia L, Wu J, Peng YC, Smith M, Chen J, Long CA, Lack J, Su XZ. Genome sequence, transcriptome, and annotation of rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis N67. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:303. [PMID: 33902452 PMCID: PMC8072299 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07555-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Rodent malaria parasites are important models for studying host-malaria parasite interactions such as host immune response, mechanisms of parasite evasion of host killing, and vaccine development. One of the rodent malaria parasites is Plasmodium yoelii, and multiple P. yoelii strains or subspecies that cause different disease phenotypes have been widely employed in various studies. The genomes and transcriptomes of several P. yoelii strains have been analyzed and annotated, including the lethal strains of P. y. yoelii YM (or 17XL) and non-lethal strains of P. y. yoelii 17XNL/17X. Genomic DNA sequences and cDNA reads from another subspecies P. y. nigeriensis N67 have been reported for studies of genetic polymorphisms and parasite response to drugs, but its genome has not been assembled and annotated. Results We performed genome sequencing of the N67 parasite using the PacBio long-read sequencing technology, de novo assembled its genome and transcriptome, and predicted 5383 genes with high overall annotation quality. Comparison of the annotated genome of the N67 parasite with those of YM and 17X parasites revealed a set of genes with N67-specific orthology, expansion of gene families, particularly the homologs of the Plasmodium chabaudi erythrocyte membrane antigen, large numbers of SNPs and indels, and proteins predicted to interact with host immune responses based on their functional domains. Conclusions The genomes of N67 and 17X parasites are highly diverse, having approximately one polymorphic site per 50 base pairs of DNA. The annotated N67 genome and transcriptome provide searchable databases for fast retrieval of genes and proteins, which will greatly facilitate our efforts in studying the parasite biology and gene function and in developing effective control measures against malaria. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07555-9.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cui Zhang
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-8132, USA
| | - Cihan Oguz
- NIAID Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource (NCBR), Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.,Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD, 21701, USA
| | - Sue Huse
- NIAID Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource (NCBR), Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.,Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD, 21701, USA
| | - Lu Xia
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-8132, USA.,State Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Wu
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-8132, USA
| | - Yu-Chih Peng
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-8132, USA
| | - Margaret Smith
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-8132, USA
| | - Jack Chen
- The NCI sequencing facility, 8560 Progress Drive, Room 3007, Frederick, MD, 21701, USA
| | - Carole A Long
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-8132, USA
| | - Justin Lack
- NIAID Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource (NCBR), Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.,Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD, 21701, USA
| | - Xin-Zhuan Su
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-8132, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nair SC, Xu R, Pattaradilokrat S, Wu J, Qi Y, Zilversmit M, Ganesan S, Nagarajan V, Eastman RT, Orandle MS, Tan JC, Myers TG, Liu S, Long CA, Li J, Su XZ. A Plasmodium yoelii HECT-like E3 ubiquitin ligase regulates parasite growth and virulence. Nat Commun 2017; 8:223. [PMID: 28790316 PMCID: PMC5548792 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00267-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Infection of mice with strains of Plasmodium yoelii parasites can result in different pathology, but molecular mechanisms to explain this variation are unclear. Here we show that a P. yoelii gene encoding a HECT-like E3 ubiquitin ligase (Pyheul) influences parasitemia and host mortality. We genetically cross two lethal parasites with distinct disease phenotypes, and identify 43 genetically diverse progeny by typing with microsatellites and 9230 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. A genome-wide quantitative trait loci scan links parasite growth and host mortality to two major loci on chromosomes 1 and 7 with LOD (logarithm of the odds) scores = 6.1 and 8.1, respectively. Allelic exchange of partial sequences of Pyheul in the chromosome 7 locus and modification of the gene expression alter parasite growth and host mortality. This study identifies a gene that may have a function in parasite growth, virulence, and host–parasite interaction, and therefore could be a target for drug or vaccine development. Many strains of Plasmodium differ in virulence, but factors that control these distinctions are not known. Here the authors comparatively map virulence loci using the offspring from a P. yoelii YM and N67 genetic cross, and identify a putative HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase that may explain the variance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sethu C Nair
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Ruixue Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Sittiporn Pattaradilokrat
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Jian Wu
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Yanwei Qi
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.,State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Martine Zilversmit
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Sundar Ganesan
- Biological Imaging Section, Research Technology Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Vijayaraj Nagarajan
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch, Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Richard T Eastman
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Marlene S Orandle
- Comparative Medicine Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - John C Tan
- The Eck Institute of Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, 46556, USA
| | - Timothy G Myers
- Genomic Technologies Section, Research Technologies Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Shengfa Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Carole A Long
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China.
| | - Xin-Zhuan Su
- Malaria Functional Genomics Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. .,State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Li J, Cai B, Qi Y, Zhao W, Liu J, Xu R, Pang Q, Tao Z, Hong L, Liu S, Leerkes M, Quiñones M, Su XZ. UTR introns, antisense RNA and differentially spliced transcripts between Plasmodium yoelii subspecies. Malar J 2016; 15:30. [PMID: 26791272 PMCID: PMC4721144 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-015-1081-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii is an important animal model for studying host-parasite interaction and molecular basis of malaria pathogenesis. Although a draft genome of P. yoeliiyoelii YM is available, and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data for several rodent malaria species (RMP) were reported recently, variations in coding regions and structure of mRNA transcript are likely present between different parasite strains or subspecies. Sequencing of cDNA libraries from additional parasite strains/subspecies will help improve the gene models and genome annotation. Methods Here two directional cDNA libraries from mixed blood stages of a subspecies of P. yoelii (P. y. nigeriensis NSM) with or without mefloquine (MQ) treatment were sequenced, and the sequence reads were compared to the genome and cDNA sequences of P. y. yoelii YM in public databases to investigate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in coding regions, variations in intron–exon structure and differential splicing between P. yoelii subspecies, and variations in gene expression under MQ pressure. Results Approximately 56 million of 100 bp paired-end reads were obtained, providing an average of ~225-fold coverage for the coding regions. Comparison of the sequence reads to the YM genome revealed introns in 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs), altered intron/exon boundaries, alternative splicing, overlapping sense-antisense reads, and potentially new transcripts. Interestingly, comparison of the NSM RNA-seq reads obtained here with those of YM discovered differentially spliced introns; e.g., spliced introns in one subspecies but not the other. Alignment of the NSM cDNA sequences to the YM genome sequence also identified ~84,000 SNPs between the two parasites. Conclusion The discoveries of UTR introns and differentially spliced introns between P. yoelii subspecies raise interesting questions on the potential role of these introns in regulating gene expression and evolution of malaria parasites. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-015-1081-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China.
| | - Baowei Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yanwei Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China. .,Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Wenting Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jianwen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ruixue Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China.
| | - Qin Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhiyong Tao
- Department of Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, 2600 Donghai Dadao Road, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lingxian Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shengfa Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China.
| | - Maarten Leerkes
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Mariam Quiñones
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Xin-zhuan Su
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, People's Republic of China. .,Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Genome-wide Analysis of Host-Plasmodium yoelii Interactions Reveals Regulators of the Type I Interferon Response. Cell Rep 2015; 12:661-72. [PMID: 26190101 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.06.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Invading pathogens trigger specific host responses, an understanding of which might identify genes that function in pathogen recognition and elimination. In this study, we performed trans-species expression quantitative trait locus (ts-eQTL) analysis using genotypes of the Plasmodium yoelii malaria parasite and phenotypes of mouse gene expression. We significantly linked 1,054 host genes to parasite genetic loci (LOD score ≥ 3.0). Using LOD score patterns, which produced results that differed from direct expression-level clustering, we grouped host genes that function in related pathways, allowing functional prediction of unknown genes. As a proof of principle, 14 of 15 randomly selected genes predicted to function in type I interferon (IFN-I) responses were experimentally validated using overexpression, small hairpin RNA knockdown, viral infection, and/or infection of knockout mice. This study demonstrates an effective strategy for studying gene function, establishes a functional gene database, and identifies regulators in IFN-I pathways.
Collapse
|