A coordinated transcriptional switching network mediates antigenic variation of human malaria parasites.

ABSTRACT: Malaria parasites avoid immune clearance through their ability to systematically alter antigens exposed on the surface of infected red blood cells. This is accomplished by tightly regulated transcriptional control of individual members of a large, multicopy gene family called var and is the key to both the virulence and chronic nature of malaria infections. Expression of var genes is mutually exclusive and controlled epigenetically, however how large populations of parasites coordinate var gene switching to avoid premature exposure of the antigenic repertoire is unknown. Here, we provide evidence for a transcriptional network anchored by a universally conserved gene called var2csa that coordinates the switching process. We describe a structured switching bias th

SUBMITTER: Zhang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9833823 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature