Project description:The emergence of multidrug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum parasites presents a significant obstacle to the malaria elimination agenda. Resistance to piperaquine (PPQ), an important first-line partner drug, has spread across Southeast Asia where it has contributed to widespread treatment failures. The genetic cause of resistance to PPQ is attributable to a novel set of amino acid substitutions in the P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT). The objective of our study is to characterize gene expression signatures associated with PPQ-resistance associated PfCRT mutations by comparing transcriptional profiles of PPQ-resistant PfCRT mutants (F145I, G353V, M343L) and isogenic PPQ-sensitive lines that were generated by zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) based editing in a long-term adapted (Dd2).