Project description:Malaria transmission requires the conversion of some asexual parasites into sexual forms termed gametocytes. The initial stages of sexual development, including sexually-committed schizonts and sexual rings, remain poorly characterized, in part because only a subset of parasites undergo sexual development and they are morphologically identical to their asexual counterparts. Here we present a system based on conditional expression of PfAP2-G, the master regulator of sexual conversion, for controlled sexual induction. Induction resulted in ~90% sexual conversion, which enables the characterization of early sexual stages without further purification. Transcriptomic analysis identified the alterations that follow pfap2-g activation, including identification of genes that are down-regulated. We also show that the inducible system enables the characterization of committed stages at the phenotypic level. Altogether, the inducible lines will facilitate the study of the initial stages of sexual development, which is important for the development of new strategies to stop malaria transmission.
Project description:Malaria transmission requires the conversion of some asexual parasites into sexual forms termed gametocytes. The initial stages of sexual development, including sexually-committed schizonts and sexual rings, remain poorly characterized, in part because only a subset of parasites undergo sexual development and they are morphologically identical to their asexual counterparts. Here we present a system based on conditional expression of PfAP2-G, the master regulator of sexual conversion, for controlled sexual induction. Induction resulted in ~90% sexual conversion, which enables the characterization of early sexual stages without further purification. Transcriptomic analysis identified the alterations that follow pfap2-g activation, including identification of genes that are down-regulated. We also show that the inducible system enables the characterization of committed stages at the phenotypic level. Altogether, the inducible lines will facilitate the study of the initial stages of sexual development, which is important for the development of new strategies to stop malaria transmission.
Project description:Using a 3′-tiling microarray covering the whole F. graminearum genome, we carried out genome-wide expression analyses of F. graminearum strains deleted for MAT1-1 or MAT1-2 locus, or overexpression the MAT1-2-1 gene during the sexual devleopment Our study is the first report which elucidated the putative target genes of the mating type genes in Fusarium graminearum during sexual development
Project description:The project examined the function of the putative transcription factor PfAP2-O from Plasmodium falciparum. This factor besides an essential function in sexual stages also influences variant, virulence associated genes. In a pull down analysis, HA-tagged PfAP2-O was immunoprecipitated and proteins assoaciated were analysed and three differentially appearing protein bands were analysed.
Project description:In the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, changes in the distribution of heterochromatin at specific loci regulate the expression of clonally variant genes (CVGs), which play fundamental roles in host-parasite interactions. In addition to differences in heterochromatin between individual parasites associated with variant expression of CVGs, changes in heterochromatin distribution associated with different developmental stages have been described. However, while stage II/III gametocytes (sexual precursors) have an altered distribution of heterochromatin compared with asexual blood stages, it is unclear if heterochromatin changes already occur at the very early stages of sexual development. Here we used a transgenic parasite line in which sexual conversion can be conditionally induced to characterise the changes in heterochromatin distribution associated with the earliest stages of sexual development. We found that there were essentially no changes in sexual rings or stage I gametocytes compared with asexual blood stages, and remodelling of heterochromatin started at stage II or III of gametocyte development, with changes similar to those previously described in parasites of a different genetic background. Therefore, global redistribution of heterochromatin does not appear to play a role in the initial steps of sexual development. We also found that, for several genes, changes in expression associated with sexual development precede changes in the heterochromatin at their locus.
Project description:Intra-genomic rDNA gene variability of Nassellaria and Spumellaria (Rhizaria, Radiolaria) assessed by Sanger, MinION and Illumina sequencing
Project description:To reveal the transcriptomic changes of hypothalamic tissue in goats from birth to sexual maturity, we performed transcriptome sequencing of Jining Grey Goat hypothalamic tissues at four developmental stages after birth. A total of 20 libraries from four different development stages (5 goats per stage) were successfully constructed, and the corresponding mRNA and lncRNA expression profile were obtained.
Project description:The apicomplexan parasite Cystoisospora suis has global significance as an enteropathogen of suckling piglets. Its intricate life cycle entails a transition from an asexual phase to sexual development, ultimately leading to the formation of transmissible oocysts. To advance our understanding of the parasite’s cellular development, we complemented previous transcriptome studies by delving into the proteome profiles at five distinct time points of in vitro cultivation through LC/MS-MS analysis. A total of 1324 proteins were identified in the in vitro developmental stages of C. suis, and 1082 proteins were identified as significantly differentially expressed. We performed BLAST, GO enrichment, and KEGG pathway analyses on the up- and downregulated proteins to elucidate correlated events in the C. suis life cycle. Our analyses revealed intriguing metabolic patterns in macromolecule metabolism, DNA and RNA-related processes, proteins associated with sexual stages, and those involved in cell invasion, reflecting the adaptation of sexual stages to a nutrient-poor and potentially stressful extracellular environment, with a focus on enzymes involved in metabolism and energy production. These findings have important implications for understanding the developmental biology of C. suis as well as other, related coccidian parasites, such as Eimeria spp. and Toxoplasma gondii. They also support the role of C. suis as a new model for the comparative biology of coccidian tissue cyst stages.
Project description:Proteomic characterization of complexity and dynamics of detergent resistant membranes of sexual and asexual stages of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei