PbAP2-FG2 and PbAP2R-2 function together as a transcriptional repressor complex essential for Plasmodium female development.

ABSTRACT: Gametocyte development is a critical step in the life cycle of Plasmodium. Despite the number of studies on gametocyte development that have been conducted, the molecular mechanisms regulating this process remain to be fully understood. This study investigates the functional roles of two female-specific transcriptional regulators, PbAP2-FG2 and PbAP2R-2, in P. berghei. Knockout of pbap2-fg2 or pbap2r-2 impairs female gametocyte development, resulting in developmental arrest during ookinete development. ChIP-seq analyses of these two factors indicated their colocalization on the genome, suggesting that they function as a complex. These analyses also revealed that their target genes contained a variety of genes, including both male and female-enriched genes. Moreover, differential expression

SUBMITTER: Nishi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9956629 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature