Project description:While many molecular changes associated with commonly used antimalarials are known, there remain important questions on how parasites arrive at the correct causal molecular solutions in a haploid genome. We selected for resistance to DSM1, a novel dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitor with a non-biological triazolopyrimidine scaffold, in P. falciparum with the Accelerated Resistance to Multiple Drugs (ARMD) trait. While direct sequencing revealed no mutations in the target DHODH gene, comparative genomic hybridizations from four independently selected DSM1-resistant clones showed a large, single 34-95kb amplification in each clone. Each amplified region always included the DHODH locus. The length of this region and the resulting 2- to 3-fold DHODH copy number increase were verified at the RNA and protein level. DSM1 resistance was stable over several months of in vitro culture. Additional selection at higher DSM1 concentrations caused further gains in CNVs at the DHODH locus. The present system validated DHODH as a key target of the triazolopyrimidine antimalarial, DSM1 and, more importantly, captured large, random CNVs as an early step in the initiation of drug resistance in malaria parasites. This defined system is expected to be valuable for characterizing early, causal molecular steps leading to successful drug resistance
Project description:While many molecular changes associated with commonly used antimalarials are known, there remain important questions on how parasites arrive at the correct causal molecular solutions in a haploid genome. We selected for resistance to DSM1, a novel dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitor with a non-biological triazolopyrimidine scaffold, in P. falciparum with the Accelerated Resistance to Multiple Drugs (ARMD) trait. While direct sequencing revealed no mutations in the target DHODH gene, comparative genomic hybridizations from four independently selected DSM1-resistant clones showed a large, single 34-95kb amplification in each clone. Each amplified region always included the DHODH locus. The length of this region and the resulting 2- to 3-fold DHODH copy number increase were verified at the RNA and protein level. DSM1 resistance was stable over several months of in vitro culture. Additional selection at higher DSM1 concentrations caused further gains in CNVs at the DHODH locus. The present system validated DHODH as a key target of the triazolopyrimidine antimalarial, DSM1 and, more importantly, captured large, random CNVs as an early step in the initiation of drug resistance in malaria parasites. This defined system is expected to be valuable for characterizing early, causal molecular steps leading to successful drug resistance RNA from P. falciparum DSM1 resistant cell-line was hybridized against RNA of parental strain, Dd2. DSM1 resistant cell culture was maintained under DSM1 at 333 nM, microarray data were obtained from three hybridizations using RNA from three independent parasite cultures
Project description:While many molecular changes associated with commonly used antimalarials are known, there remain important questions on how parasites arrive at the correct causal molecular solutions in a haploid genome. We selected for resistance to DSM1, a novel dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitor with a non-biological triazolopyrimidine scaffold, in P. falciparum with the Accelerated Resistance to Multiple Drugs (ARMD) trait. While direct sequencing revealed no mutations in the target DHODH gene, comparative genomic hybridizations from four independently selected DSM1-resistant clones showed a large, single 34-95kb amplification in each clone. Each amplified region always included the DHODH locus. The length of this region and the resulting 2- to 3-fold DHODH copy number increase were verified at the RNA and protein level. DSM1 resistance was stable over several months of in vitro culture. Additional selection at higher DSM1 concentrations caused further gains in CNVs at the DHODH locus. The present system validated DHODH as a key target of the triazolopyrimidine antimalarial, DSM1 and, more importantly, captured large, random CNVs as an early step in the initiation of drug resistance in malaria parasites. This defined system is expected to be valuable for characterizing early, causal molecular steps leading to successful drug resistance
Project description:While many molecular changes associated with commonly used antimalarials are known, there remain important questions on how parasites arrive at the correct causal molecular solutions in a haploid genome. We selected for resistance to DSM1, a novel dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitor with a non-biological triazolopyrimidine scaffold, in P. falciparum with the Accelerated Resistance to Multiple Drugs (ARMD) trait. While direct sequencing revealed no mutations in the target DHODH gene, comparative genomic hybridizations from four independently selected DSM1-resistant clones showed a large, single 34-95kb amplification in each clone. Each amplified region always included the DHODH locus. The length of this region and the resulting 2- to 3-fold DHODH copy number increase were verified at the RNA and protein level. DSM1 resistance was stable over several months of in vitro culture. Additional selection at higher DSM1 concentrations caused further gains in CNVs at the DHODH locus. The present system validated DHODH as a key target of the triazolopyrimidine antimalarial, DSM1 and, more importantly, captured large, random CNVs as an early step in the initiation of drug resistance in malaria parasites. This defined system is expected to be valuable for characterizing early, causal molecular steps leading to successful drug resistance gDNA from P. falciparum DSM1 resistant cell-line was hybridized against gDNA of parental strain, Dd2. DSM1 resistant cell culture was maintained under DSM1 at 333 nM, microarray data were obtained from three hybridizations using gDNA from three independent parasite cultures
Project description:BackgroundCopy number variations (CNVs) of the Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance 1 (pfmdr1), P. falciparum plasmepsin2 (pfplasmepsin2) and P. falciparum GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (pfgch1) genes are associated with anti-malarial drug resistance in P. falciparum malaria. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assays have been developed for accurate assessment of CNVs in several human genes. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate ddPCR assays for detection of the CNVs of P. falciparum genes associated with resistance to anti-malarial drugs.MethodsA multiplex ddPCR assay was developed to detect the CNVs in the pfmdr1 and pfplasmepsin2 genes, while a duplex ddPCR assay was developed to detect CNV in the pfgch1 gene. The gene copy number (GCN) quantification limit, as well as the accuracy and precision of the ddPCR assays were determined and compared to conventional quantitative PCR (qPCR). In order to reduce the cost of testing, a multiplex ddPCR assay of two target genes, pfmdr1 and pfplasmepsin2, was validated. In addition, the CNVs of genes of field samples collected from Thailand from 2015 to 2019 (n = 84) were assessed by ddPCR and results were compared to qPCR as the reference assay.ResultsThere were no significant differences between the GCN results obtained from uniplex and multiplex ddPCR assays for detection of CNVs in the pfmdr1 and pfplasmepsin2 genes (p = 0.363 and 0.330, respectively). Based on the obtained gene copy number quantification limit, the accuracy and percent relative standard deviation (%RSD) value of the multiplex ddPCR assay were 95% and 5%, respectively, for detection of the CNV of the pfmdr1 gene, and 91% and 5% for detection of the CNV of the pfplasmepsin2 gene. There was no significant difference in gene copy numbers assessed by uniplex or duplex ddPCR assays regarding CNV in the pfgch1 gene (p = 0.276). The accuracy and %RSD value of the duplex ddPCR assay were 95% and 4%, respectively, regarding pfgch1 GCN. In the P. falciparum field samples, pfmdr1 and pfplasmepsin2 GCNs were amplified in 15% and 27% of samples from Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, while pfgch1 GCN was amplified in 50% of samples from Yala, Thailand. There was 100% agreement between the GCN results obtained from the ddPCR and qPCR assays (κ = 1.00). The results suggested that multiplex ddPCR assay is the optional assay for the accurate detection of gene copy number without requiring calibration standards, while the cost and required time are reduced. Based on the results of this study, criteria for GCN detection by ddPCR analysis were generated.ConclusionsThe developed ddPCR assays are simple, accurate, precise and cost-effective tools for detection of the CNVs in the pfmdr1, pfplasmepsin2 and pfgch1 genes of P. falciparum. The ddPCR assay is a useful additional tool for the surveillance of anti-malarial drug resistance.
Project description:In the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the expression of many genes is regulated by heterochromatin (HC) based on the histone mark tri-methylation of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me3). HC assembly involves three distinct steps: de novo nucleation, spreading and maintenance. Nucleation, which consists in formation of HC in a previously euchromatic region, determines at which specific regions of the genome HC occurs, but this process is not well understood in malaria parasites. Here we investigated the DNA sequence cis determinants of HC nucleation in P. falciparum, using a screening approach based on integration of fragments from different heterochromatic genes into an euchromatic locus, followed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). We found that fragments of var gene upstream regions nucleated HC efficiently, whereas fragments from the pfap2-g upstream region or from the mspdbl2 locus did not nucleate HC. Fragments from the beginning of the coding sequence (CDS) of pfap2-g nucleated HC with low efficiency, as evidenced by nucleation requiring long fragments of ~2 kb and occurring only in a fraction of the parasites. These results demonstrate that the primary DNA sequence is a main determinant of HC nucleation in P. falciparum. We also studied HC maintenance at the pfap2-g locus, which demonstrated that specific parts of the upstream region, different from the regions competent for HC nucleation, are required for maintenance. Together, our results provide initial insight into how HC is directed to specific loci and maintained in P. falciparum.
Project description:Emerging artemisinin resistance in Southeast Asia poses a significant risk to malaria control and eradication goals, including China's plan to eliminate malaria nationwide by 2020. Plasmodium falciparum was endemic in China, especially in Southern China. Parasites from this region have shown decreased susceptibility to artemisinin and delayed parasite clearance after artemisinin treatment. Understanding the genetic basis of artemisinin resistance and identifying specific genetic loci associated with this phenotype is crucial for surveillance and containment of resistance. In this study, parasites were collected from clinical patients from Yunnan province and Hainan island. The parasites were genotyped using a P. falciparum-specific single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray. The SNP profiles examined included a total of 27 validated and candidate molecular markers of drug resistance. The structure of the parasite population was evaluated by principal component analysis by using the EIGENSOFT program, and ADMIXTURE was used to calculate maximum likelihood estimates for the substructure analysis. Parasites showed a high prevalence of resistance haplotypes of pfdhfr and pfdhps and moderate prevalence of pfcrt. There was no mutation identified on pfmdr1. Candidate SNPs on chromosomes 10, 13, and 14 that were associated with delayed parasite clearance showed a low prevalence of mutants. Parasites from Southern China were clustered and separated from those from Southeast Asia. Parasites from Yunnan province were substructured from parasites from Hainan island. This study provides evidence for a genomic population with drug resistance in Southern China and also illustrates the utility of SNP microarrays for large-scale parasite molecular epidemiology.
Project description:The emergence of drug resistance to frontline treatments such as Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is a major obstacle to the control and eradication of malaria. This problem is compounded by the inherent genetic variability of the parasites, as many established markers of resistance do not accurately predict the drug-resistant status. There have been reports of declining effectiveness of ACT in the West Bengal and Northeast regions of India, which have traditionally been areas of drug resistance emergence in the country. Monitoring the genetic makeup of a population can help to identify the potential for drug resistance markers associated with it and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing the spread of malaria. In this study, we performed whole genome sequencing of 53 isolates of Plasmodium falciparum from West Bengal and compared their genetic makeup to isolates from Southeast Asia (SEA) and Africa. We found that the Indian isolates had a distinct genetic makeup compared to those from SEA and Africa, and were more similar to African isolates, with a high prevalence of mutations associated with antigenic variation genes. The Indian isolates also showed a high prevalence of markers of chloroquine resistance (mutations in Pfcrt) and multidrug resistance (mutations in Pfmdr1), but no known mutations associated with artemisinin resistance in the PfKelch13 gene. Interestingly, we observed a novel L152V mutation in PfKelch13 gene and other novel mutations in genes involved in ubiquitination and vesicular transport that have been reported to support artemisinin resistance in the early stages of ACT resistance in the absence of PfKelch13 polymorphisms. Thus, our study highlights the importance of region-specific genomic surveillance for artemisinin resistance and the need for continued monitoring of resistance to artemisinin and its partner drugs.
Project description:This review article aims to investigate the genotypic profiles of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax isolates collected across a wide geographic region and their association with resistance to anti-malarial drugs used in Indonesia. A systematic review was conducted between 1991 and date. Search engines, such as PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, were used for articles published in English and Indonesian to search the literature. Of the 471 initially identified studies, 61 were selected for 4316 P. falciparum and 1950 P. vivax individual infections. The studies included 23 molecular studies and 38 therapeutic efficacy studies. K76T was the most common pfcrt mutation. K76N (2.1%) was associated with the haplotype CVMNN. By following dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ) therapy, the mutant pfmdr1 alleles 86Y and 1034C were selected. Low prevalence of haplotype N86Y/Y184/D1246Y pfmdr1 reduces susceptibility to AS-AQ. SNP mutation pvmdr1 Y976F reached 96.1% in Papua and East Nusa Tenggara. Polymorphism analysis in the pfdhfr gene revealed 94/111 (84.7%) double mutants S108N/C59R or S108T/A16V in Central Java. The predominant pfdhfr haplotypes (based on alleles 16, 51, 59,108, 164) found in Indonesia were ANCNI, ANCSI, ANRNI, and ANRNL. Some isolates carried A437G (35.3%) or A437G/K540E SNPs (26.5%) in pfdhps. Two novel pfdhps mutant alleles, I588F/G and K540T, were associated with six pfdhps haplotypes. The highest prevalence of pvdhfr quadruple mutation (F57L/S58R/T61M/S117T) (61.8%) was detected in Papua. In pvdhps, the only polymorphism before and after 2008 was 383G mutation with 19% prevalence. There were no mutations in the pfk13 gene reported with validated and candidate or associated k13 mutation. An increased copy number of pfpm2, associated with piperaquine resistance, was found only in cases of reinfection. Meanwhile, mutation of pvk12 and pvpm4 I165V is unlikely associated with ART and PPQ drug resistance. DHA-PPQ is still effective in treating uncomplicated falciparum and vivax malaria. Serious consideration should be given to interrupt local malaria transmission and dynamic patterns of resistance to anti-malarial drugs to modify chemotherapeutic policy treatment strategies. The presence of several changes in pfk13 in the parasite population is of concern and highlights the importance of further evaluation of parasitic ART susceptibility in Indonesia.