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Comparison of relative transcript and protein abundance in Plasmodium falciparum schizont stage parasites

ABSTRACT: Background: Malaria is a one of the most important infectious diseases and is caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. Previously, the quantitative characterization of the P. falciparum transcriptome demonstrated that the strictly controlled progression of these parasites through their intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle is accompanied by a continuous cascade of gene expression. Although such analyses have proven immensely useful, the precise correlations between transcript and protein abundance remain under-scrutinized. Results: Here, we present a quantitative time-course analysis of relative protein abundance for schizont-stage parasites (34-46 hours post-invasion) based on 2D-gel electrophoresis of protein samples labeled with DIGE fluorescent dyes. For this purpose we analyzed parasite samples taken at four-hour intervals from a tightly synchronized culture and established more than 500 individual protein abundance profiles with high temporal resolution and quantitative reproducibility. Approximately half of all profiles exhibit a significant change in abundance and 12% display an expression peak during the observed 12-hour time interval. Intriguingly, identification of 54 protein spots by mass spectrometry revealed that 58% of the corresponding proteins including actin-I, enolase, eIF4A, eIF5A, and several heat shock proteins are represented by more than one isoform, presumably due to post-translational modifications, with the various isoforms of a given protein frequently showing different expression patterns. Furthermore, comparisons with transcriptome data generated from the same parasite samples reveal significant post-transcriptional gene expression regulation. Conclusions: Together, our data indicate that both post-transcriptional and post-translational events are widespread and of presumably great biological significance during the intra-erythrocytic development of P. falciparum. Additional comment: In essence, the microarray data generated in this study is a repeat of the transcriptome analysis described in Bozdech et al., PLoS Biol 2003, 1(1):E5. Differences include (1) an improved set of oligonucleotides [see Hu et al., BMC Bioinformatics 2007, 8:350] used in the study associated with this GEO entry, and (2) the sampling at only four timepoints during the intra-erythrocytic development cycle (schizont stage) to match and complement the samples processed in the concomitant proteomics analysis.

ORGANISM(S): Plasmodium falciparum

PROVIDER: GSE13251 | GEO | 2009/02/23

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA109533

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Background: Malaria is a one of the most important infectious diseases and is caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. Previously, the quantitative characterization of the P. falciparum transcriptome demonstrated that the strictly controlled progression of these parasites through their intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle is accompanied by a continuous cascade of gene expression. Although such analyses have proven immensely useful, the precise correlations between transcript and protein abundance remain under-scrutinized. Results: Here, we present a quantitative time-course analysis of relative protein abundance for schizont-stage parasites (34-46 hours post-invasion) based on 2D-gel electrophoresis of protein samples labeled with DIGE fluorescent dyes. For this purpose we analyzed parasite samples taken at four-hour intervals from a tightly synchronized culture and established more than 500 individual protein abundance profiles with high temporal resolution and quantitative reproducibility. Approximately half of all profiles exhibit a significant change in abundance and 12% display an expression peak during the observed 12-hour time interval. Intriguingly, identification of 54 protein spots by mass spectrometry revealed that 58% of the corresponding proteins including actin-I, enolase, eIF4A, eIF5A, and several heat shock proteins are represented by more than one isoform, presumably due to post-translational modifications, with the various isoforms of a given protein frequently showing different expression patterns. Furthermore, comparisons with transcriptome data generated from the same parasite samples reveal significant post-transcriptional gene expression regulation. Conclusions: Together, our data indicate that both post-transcriptional and post-translational events are widespread and of presumably great biological significance during the intra-erythrocytic development of P. falciparum. Additional comment: In essence, the microarray data generated in this study is a repeat of the transcriptome analysis described in Bozdech et al., PLoS Biol 2003, 1(1):E5. Differences include (1) an improved set of oligonucleotides [see Hu et al., BMC Bioinformatics 2007, 8:350] used in the study associated with this GEO entry, and (2) the sampling at only four timepoints during the intra-erythrocytic development cycle (schizont stage) to match and complement the samples processed in the concomitant proteomics analysis. Four timepoint samples were harvested from a tightly synchronized 6 liter biofermenter culture of P. falciparum during schizont stage (at 34, 38, 42, and 46 hours post-invasion) and compared against a 3D7 RNA reference pool.

Project description:Drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum remains a challenge for the malaria eradication programs around the world. With the emergence of artemisinin resistance, the efficacy of the partner drugs in the artemisinin combination therapies (ACT) that include quinoline based drugs is becoming critical. So far only few resistance markers have been identified and verified from which only two ABC transmembrane transporters namely PfMDR1 and PfCRT have been experimentally verified. Another P. falciparum ABC transporter, the multidrug resistance-associated protein (PfMRP2) represents an additional possible factor of drug resistance in P. falciparum. In this study, we identify a parasite clone that is derived from the 3D7 P. falciparum strain and which shows increased resistance to chloroquine and mefloquine through the trophozoite and schizont stages. We demonstrate that the resistance phenotype is caused by a 4.1 kb deletion in the 5M-bM-^@M-^Y upstream region of the pfmrp2 gene that leads to an alteration in the pfmrp2 transcription that result in increased levels of PfMRP2 protein. These results also suggest the importance of putative promoter elements in regulation of gene expression during the P. falciparum intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle and the potential of such genetic polymorphisms to underlie drug resistance phenotypes. Presented here are the data from microarray-based genome-wide transcriptomic and genomic studies of the drug-sensitive and drug-resistant 3D7 clones 11C/wt and 6A/mut. 2 P. falciparum lab clones derived from 3D7 strain were harvested during the intra-erythrocytic cycle for genomic DNA. gDNA were extracted by phenol chloroform. Synthesis of labelled target DNA was carried out as previously described: Bozdech, Z., M. Llinas, B. L. Pulliam, E. D. Wong, J. Zhu & J. L. DeRisi, (2003) The transcriptome of the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle of Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS Biol 1: E5, and used in comparative genomic microarray hybridizations (CGH).

Project description:Drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum remains a challenge for the malaria eradication programs around the world. With the emergence of artemisinin resistance, the efficacy of the partner drugs in the artemisinin combination therapies (ACT) that include quinoline based drugs is becoming critical. So far only few resistance markers have been identified and verified from which only two ABC transmembrane transporters namely PfMDR1 and PfCRT have been experimentally verified. Another P. falciparum ABC transporter, the multidrug resistance-associated protein (PfMRP2) represents an additional possible factor of drug resistance in P. falciparum. In this study, we identify a parasite clone that is derived from the 3D7 P. falciparum strain and which shows increased resistance to chloroquine and mefloquine through the trophozoite and schizont stages. We demonstrate that the resistance phenotype is caused by a 4.1 kb deletion in the 5M-bM-^@M-^Y upstream region of the pfmrp2 gene that leads to an alteration in the pfmrp2 transcription that result in increased levels of PfMRP2 protein. These results also suggest the importance of putative promoter elements in regulation of gene expression during the P. falciparum intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle and the potential of such genetic polymorphisms to underlie drug resistance phenotypes. Presented here are the data from microarray-based genome-wide transcriptomic and genomic studies of the drug-sensitive and drug-resistant 3D7 clones 11C/wt and 6A/mut. 2 P. falciparum lab clones derived from 3D7 strain were harvested during the intra-erythrocytic cycle at 8hr intervals over 48 hours to obtain a total of 6 time point samples per clone. RNA from a total of 12 samples were extracted. Synthesis of target DNA was carried out as described in Bozdech, Z., S. Mok & A. P. Gupta, (2013) DNA microarray-based genome-wide analyses of Plasmodium parasites. Methods in molecular biology 923: 189-211 and used in replicate microarray hybridizations against a common RNA reference pool of 3D7 strain.

Project description:During intra-erythrocytic development, late asexually replicating Plasmodium falciparum parasites sequester from peripheral circulation. This facilitates chronic infection and is linked to severe disease and organ-specific pathology including cerebral and placental malaria. Immature gametocytes M-bM-^@M-^S sexual stage precursor cells M-bM-^@M-^S likewise disappear from circulation. Recent work has demonstrated that these sexual stage parasites are located in the hematopoietic system of the bone marrow before mature gametocytes are released into the blood stream to facilitate mosquito transmission. However, as sequestration occurs only in vivo and not during in vitro culture, the mechanisms by which it is regulated and enacted (particularly by the gametocyte stage) remain poorly understood. We generated the most comprehensive P. falciparum functional gene network to date by integrating global transcriptional data from a large set of asexual and sexual in vitro samples, patient-derived in vivo samples, and a new set of in vitro samples profiling sexual commitment. We defined more than 250 functional modules (clusters) of genes that are co-expressed primarily during the intra-erythrocytic parasite cycle, including 35 during sexual commitment and gametocyte development. Comparing the in vivo and in vitro datasets allowed us, for the first time, to map the time point of asexual parasite sequestration in patients to 22 hours post invasion, confirming previous in vitro observations on the dynamics of host cell modification and cytoadherence. Moreover, we were able to define the properties of gametocyte sequestration, demonstrating the presence of two circulating gametocyte populations: gametocyte rings between 0 and ~30 hours post invasion and mature gametocytes after around 7 days post invasion. We used 164/TdTom, a transgenic parasite line expressing a red fluorescent protein reporter under a gametocyte-specific promoter to generate schizont samples. Schizonts were subsequently isolated from both the fluorescent and non-fluorescent population by FACS and prepared for microarray analysis. Two biological replicates were produced for both the fluorescent and the non-fluorescent samples.

Project description:Quantitative studies of the P. falciparum transcriptome have shown that the tightly controlled progression of the parasite through the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC) is accompanied by a continuous gene expression cascade where most expressed genes exhibit a single transcriptional peak. Since proteins represent the decisive business end of gene expression, understanding the correlation between mRNA and protein levels is crucial for inferring biological activity from transcriptional gene expression data. While pertinent studies on other organisms show that as little as 20-40% of protein abundance variation may be attributable to corresponding mRNA levels, the situation in Plasmodium is further complicated by the dynamic nature of the cyclic gene expression cascade where the mRNA levels of most genes change constantly during the IDC. In this study, we simultaneously determined mRNA and protein abundance profiles for P. falciparum parasites during the IDC at 2-hour resolution based on spotted oligonucleotide microarrays and 2D-protein gels in combination with DIGE fluorescent dyes. Intriguingly, most proteins are represented by more than one isoform, presumably due to post-translational modifications. Analysis of 366 protein abundance profiles and the corresponding mRNA levels shows that in 67.2% of cases the protein abundance peaks at least 8 hours after the mRNA level peak. While it may be tempting to interpret this as evidence for widespread post-transcriptional gene regulation additional analyses including computer modeling demonstrate that in >60% of these cases the observed protein profiles including the peak lag times could arise as a consequence of the corresponding mRNA levels when simple translation and degradation dynamics are assumed. We further characterize and illustrate these dynamics and show that even human host proteins within the parasite may be subject to similar dynamics as their parasite counterparts. 24 timepoint samples were harvested from a tightly synchronous 6.5 liter biofermenter culture of P. falciparum (Dd2) at 2-hour intervals during one entire intraerythrocytic developmental cycle and compared against a 3D7 RNA reference pool.

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Comparison of relative transcript and protein abundance in Plasmodium falciparum schizont stage parasites

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