Mesenchymal stem cells of the bone marrow raise infectivity of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes.

ABSTRACT: Plasmodium falciparum is a parasite that causes the deadly human disease, malaria, and exhibits a complex life cycle in human and mosquito hosts. In the sexual stages of the parasite, gametocytes mature in the human body and propagate malaria when they are picked up by mosquitoes to infect new hosts. Previous research has shown that gametocytes home to the bone marrow of the host, where they complete their maturation and alter the behavior of resident mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study, we investigated the alternate side of this host-pathogen interaction, whether MSCs could alter the behavior of gametocytes. Gametocytes were co-cultured with MSCs until maturity and subsequently fed to mosquitoes to measure the oocysts produced. Here, we report, for the first time, that MSC

SUBMITTER: Suresh RV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10746266 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature