Molecular genetics and comparative genomics reveal RNAi is not functional in malaria parasites.

ABSTRACT: Techniques for targeted genetic disruption in Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, are currently intractable for those genes that are essential for blood stage development. The ability to use RNA interference (RNAi) to silence gene expression would provide a powerful means to gain valuable insight into the pathogenic blood stages but its functionality in Plasmodium remains controversial. Here we have used various RNA-based gene silencing approaches to test the utility of RNAi in malaria parasites and have undertaken an extensive comparative genomics search using profile hidden Markov models to clarify whether RNAi machinery exists in malaria. These investigative approaches revealed that Plasmodium lacks the enzymology required for RNAi-based ablation of gene expression and indeed no

SUBMITTER: Baum J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2699523 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature