Título:
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Expression of the Plasmodium falciparum Clonally Variant clag3
Genes in Human Infections
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Autor/a:
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Mira-Martinez, Sofia; Schuppen, Evi van; Amambua-Ngwa, Alfred; Bottieau, Emmanuel; Affara, Muna; Esbroeck, Marjan van; Vlieghe, Erika; Guetens, Pieter; Rovira Graells, Núria; Gomez-Perez, Gloria P.; Alonso, Pedro; D'Alessandro, Umberto; Rosanas-Urgell, Anna; Cortés, Alfred
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Abstract:
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Background.: Many genes of the malaria parasite Plasmodium
falciparum show clonally variant expression regulated at the
epigenetic level. These genes participate in fundamental
host-parasite interactions and contribute to adaptive processes.
However, little is known about their expression patterns during
human infections. A peculiar case of clonally variant genes are
the 2 nearly identical clag3 genes, clag3.1 and clag3.2, which
mediate nutrient uptake and are linked to resistance to some
toxic compounds. Methods.: We developed a procedure to
characterize the expression of clag3 genes in naturally infected
patients and in experimentally infected human volunteers.
Results.: We provide the first description of clag3 expression
during human infections, which revealed mutually exclusive
expression and identified the gene predominantly expressed.
Adaptation to culture conditions or selection with a toxic
compound resulted in isolate-dependent changes in clag3
expression. We also found that clag3 expression patterns were
reset during transmission stages. Conclusions.: Different
environment conditions select for parasites with different clag3
expression patterns, implying functional differences between the
proteins encoded. The epigenetic memory is likely erased before
parasites start infection of a new human host. Altogether, our
findings support the idea that clonally variant genes facilitate
the adaptation of parasite populations to changing conditions
through bet-hedging strategies. |
Materia(s):
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-Malària -Plasmodium falciparum -Malaria -Plasmodium falciparum |
Derechos:
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(c) Mira-Martinez et al., 2017
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Tipo de documento:
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Artículo Artículo - Versión aceptada |
Editor:
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Oxford University Press
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Compartir:
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