Host circadian clocks do not set the schedule for the within-host replication of malaria parasites.

ABSTRACT: Circadian clocks coordinate organisms' activities with daily cycles in their environment. Parasites are subject to daily rhythms in the within-host environment, resulting from clock-control of host activities, including immune responses. Parasites also exhibit rhythms in their activities: the timing of within-host replication by malaria parasites is coordinated to host feeding rhythms. Precisely which host feeding-related rhythm(s) parasites align with and how this is achieved are unknown. Understanding rhythmic replication in malaria parasites matters because it underpins disease symptoms and fuels transmission investment. We test if rhythmicity in parasite replication is coordinated with the host's feeding-related rhythms and/or rhythms driven by the host's canonical circadian clock. We

SUBMITTER: O'Donnell AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7575513 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature