A5062419793- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Malaria Research and Control
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Trypanosoma species research and implications
- vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
- Biochemical and Molecular Research
- Signaling Pathways in Disease
- Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics
- Cardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
- Peptidase Inhibition and Analysis
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Microbial Applications in Construction Materials
- Calcium signaling and nucleotide metabolism
- Complement system in diseases
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
Cornell University
2022-2025
University of Bern
2018-2023
University of Bologna
2018
The primary antigenic and virulence determinant of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is a variant surface protein called PfEMP1. Different forms PfEMP1 are encoded by multicopy gene family var , switching between active genes enables parasites to evade antibody response their hosts. key for maintenance chronic infections; however, what controls unknown, although it has been suggested occur at constant frequency with little or no environmental influence. transcription...
The unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei is transmitted between mammals by tsetse flies. Following the discovery that flagellar phosphodiesterase PDEB1 required for trypanosomes to move in response signals vitro (social motility), we investigated its role Here show knockout parasites exhibit subtle changes movement, reminiscent of bacterial chemotaxis mutants. Infecting flies with knockout, followed live confocal microscopy fluorescent within dual-labelled insect tissues, shows important...
Malaria parasites avoid immune clearance through their ability to systematically alter antigens exposed on the surface of infected red blood cells. This is accomplished by tightly regulated transcriptional control individual members a large, multicopy gene family called var and key both virulence chronic nature malaria infections. Expression genes mutually exclusive controlled epigenetically, however how large populations coordinate switching premature exposure antigenic repertoire unknown....
Abstract TbMex67 is the major mRNA export factor known to date in trypanosomes, forming part of docking platform within nuclear pore. To explore its role co-transcriptional export, recently reported Trypanosoma brucei, pulse labelling nascent RNAs with 5-ethynyl uridine (5-EU) was performed cells depleted and complemented a dominant-negative mutant (TbMex67-DN). RNA polymerase (Pol) II transcription unaffected, but procyclin loci, which encode mRNAs transcribed by Pol I from internal sites...
The path from DNA to RNA protein in eukaryotes is guided by a series of factors linking transcription, mRNA export and translation. Many these are conserved yeast humans. Trypanosomatids, which diverged early the eukaryotic lineage, exhibit unusual features such as polycistronic transcription trans-splicing all messenger RNAs. They possess basal factors, but lack recognisable orthologues many required for elongation export. We show that retrotransposon hotspot (RHS) proteins fulfil some...
Abstract Chronic, asymptomatic malaria infections contribute substantially to disease transmission and likely represent the most significant impediment preventing elimination eradication. Plasmodium falciparum parasites evade antibody recognition through transcriptional switching between members of var gene family, which encodes major virulence factor surface antigen on infected red blood cells. This process can extend for up a year; however, have been documented last over decade,...
Abstract Malaria parasites avoid immune clearance through their ability to systematically alter antigens exposed on the surface of infected red blood cells. This is accomplished by tightly regulated transcriptional control individual members a large, multicopy gene family called var and key both virulence chronic nature malaria infections. Expression genes mutually exclusive controlled epigenetically, however how large populations coordinate switching premature exposure antigenic repertoire...