A5018927698- Malaria Research and Control
- Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Parasites and Host Interactions
- Complement system in diseases
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Coagulation, Bradykinin, Polyphosphates, and Angioedema
- Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
- Immune Cell Function and Interaction
- Fungal Biology and Applications
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Multiple Myeloma Research and Treatments
- Cancer Research and Treatments
- GDF15 and Related Biomarkers
- Computational Drug Discovery Methods
- Animal Genetics and Reproduction
- Helminth infection and control
- Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
Bangor University
2016-2022
Medical Research Council
2009-2012
MRC Unit the Gambia
2006-2012
Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution
2005-2009
University of Edinburgh
1997-2009
University of Oxford
1998
MRC Epidemiology Unit
1994
Failure to establish an appropriate balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory immune responses is believed contribute pathogenesis of severe malaria. To determine whether this maintained by classical regulatory T cells (CD4+ FOXP3+ CD127−/low; Tregs) we compared cellular Gambian children (n = 124) with Plasmodium falciparum malaria or uncomplicated infections. Although no significant differences in Treg numbers function were observed the groups, activity during acute disease was inversely...
Acquired immunity in vertebrates maintains polymorphisms endemic pathogens, leading to identifiable signatures of balancing selection. To comprehensively survey for genes under such selection the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, we generated paired-end short-read sequences parasites clinical isolates from an Gambian population, which were mapped 3D7 strain reference genome yield high-quality genome-wide coding sequence data 65 isolates. A minority did not map reliably, including...
A substantial decline in malaria was reported to have occurred over several years until 2007 the western part of The Gambia, encouraging consideration future elimination this previously highly endemic region. Scale up interventions has since increased with support from Global Fund and other donors.We continued examine laboratory records at four health facilities studied investigated six additional for a 7 year period, adding data 243,707 slide examinations, determine trends throughout...
ABSTRACT A novel member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family has been identified in filarial nematode parasite Brugia malayi by searching recently developed Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) database produced Filarial Genome Project. Designated tgh-2 , this new gene shows most similarity to a key product regulating dauer larva formation Caenorhabditis elegans (DAF-7) and human down-modulatory cytokine TGF-β. Homology DAF-7 extends throughout length 349-amino-acid (aa) protein, which...
Current methods for detecting malaria parasites are invasive and associated with poor compliance when repeated sampling is required. New to detect quantify in a less-invasive manner would greatly enhance the potential longitudinal surveillance clinical trials.Saliva, urine, blood samples from 386 Gambian outpatients suspected infections were analyzed by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) infection evaluate diagnostic accuracy comparison expert microscopy. The amount of parasite DNA...
We have cultured Plasmodium falciparum directly from the blood of infected individuals to examine patterns mature-stage gene expression in patient isolates. Analysis transcriptome P. is complicated by highly periodic nature because small variations stage parasite development between samples can lead an apparent difference values. To address this issue, we developed statistical likelihood-based methods estimate cell cycle progression and commitment asexual or sexual lineages our based on...
Erythrocyte invasion is central to malaria parasite replication and virulence. Plasmodium falciparum parasites use different alternative erythrocyte receptors vary in expression of erythrocyte-binding antigenic (EBA) proteins reticulocyte-binding protein homologues (Rh). Parasite phenotypes schizont-stage transcript profiles the 8 eba Rh protein-coding genes without internal stop codons were determined for 163 clinical isolates cultured ex vivo The Gambia. There was extensive diversity...
Chronic infections with the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum depend on antigenic variation. P. erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), major surface antigen mediating sequestration in microvasculature, is encoded parasites by a highly diverse family of var genes. Antigenic switching mediated clonal variation expression, and recent vitro studies have demonstrated role for epigenetic processes regulation. Expression particular PfEMP1 variants may result enrichment different...
Gene copy number variation (CNV) is responsible for several important phenotypes of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, including drug resistance, loss infected erythrocyte cytoadherence and alteration receptor usage invasion. Despite known effects CNV, little about its extent throughout genome. We performed a whole-genome survey CNV genes in P. falciparum using comparative genome hybridisation diverse set 16 laboratory culture-adapted isolates to custom designed high density...
The C-type lectin superfamily is highly represented in all metazoan phyla so far studied. Many members of this are important innate immune defences against infection, while others serve key developmental and structural roles. Within the superfamily, many proteins contain multiple canonical carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRDs), together with additional non-lectin domains. In report, we have studied two gastrointestinal nematode parasites which widely used experimental rodent systems,...
Journal Article Characterisation of the novel gene G11 lying adjacent to complement C4A in human major histocompatibility complex Get access Carole A. Sargent, Sargent MRC Immunochemistry Unit, Department Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford 0X1 3QUUK Search for other works by this author on: Academic PubMed Google Scholar Michael J. Anderson, Anderson Shie-Liang Hsieh, Hsieh Elaine Kendall, Kendall Natalia Gomez-Escobar, Gomez-Escobar R.Duncan Campbell * *To whom correspondence should be...
Parasites exploit sophisticated strategies to evade host immunity that require both adaptation of existing genes and evolution new gene families. We have addressed this question by testing the immunological function novel from helminth parasites, in which conventional transgenesis is not yet possible. investigated two such Brugia malayi termed abundant larval transcript (alt), expression reaches ~5% total at time parasites enter human host.To test hypothesis ALT proteins modulate immunity,...
Protein kinases are involved in signal transduction pathways and play fundamental roles the regulation of cell functions. Here we report that gene G11 located human major histocompatibility complex encodes a novel Ser/Thr protein kinase. The products 41.5 30 kDa were expressed insect cells using baculovirus system transiently mammalian line COS-7. It was found after immunoprecipitation polypeptides from recombinant baculovirus-infected lysates or transfected COS-7 immunoprecipitates...
Schistosomiasis is a major parasitic disease affecting over 200 million people in the developing world with further 400 at risk of infection. The aim this study was to identify single antigen from adult Schistosoma haematobium worms and subsequently use development schistosome-acquired immunity human population. full-length cDNA sequence S. protein, putative orthologue mansoni tegumental Sm13, obtained library named Sh13 following small-scale expressed tags (EST) project. recombinant protein...
// Natalia Gomez-Escobar 1,* , Nasser Almobadel Othman Alzahrani Julia Feichtinger 2,3,* Vicente Planells-Palop Zafer Alshehri 1 Gerhard G. Thallinger 2,3 Jane A. Wakeman and Ramsay J. McFarlane North West Cancer Research Institute, School of Medical Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, United Kingdom 2 Computational Biotechnology Bioinformatics Group, Institute Molecular Biotechnology, Graz University Technology, Graz, Austria 3 Omics Center BioTechMed * These authors have...
The conserved nucleic acid binding protein Translin contributes to numerous facets of mammalian biology and genetic diseases. It was first identified as a binder cancer-associated chromosomal translocation breakpoint junctions leading the suggestion that it involved in recombination. With paralogous partner protein, Trax, has subsequently been found form hetero-octomeric RNase complex drives some its functions, including passenger strand removal RNA interference (RNAi). Translin-Trax also...