Plasmodium falciparum Development from Gametocyte to Oocyst: Insight from Functional Studies
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Published:2023-07-31
Issue:8
Volume:11
Page:1966
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ISSN:2076-2607
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Container-title:Microorganisms
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Microorganisms
Author:
Ouologuem Dinkorma T.1ORCID, Dara Antoine1ORCID, Kone Aminatou1, Ouattara Amed2ORCID, Djimde Abdoulaye A.1ORCID
Affiliation:
1. Malaria Research and Training Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Sciences, Techniques, and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako 1805, Mali 2. Malaria Research Program, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Abstract
Malaria elimination may never succeed without the implementation of transmission-blocking strategies. The transmission of Plasmodium spp. parasites from the human host to the mosquito vector depends on circulating gametocytes in the peripheral blood of the vertebrate host. Once ingested by the mosquito during blood meals, these sexual forms undergo a series of radical morphological and metabolic changes to survive and progress from the gut to the salivary glands, where they will be waiting to be injected into the vertebrate host. The design of effective transmission-blocking strategies requires a thorough understanding of all the mechanisms that drive the development of gametocytes, gametes, sexual reproduction, and subsequent differentiation within the mosquito. The drastic changes in Plasmodium falciparum shape and function throughout its life cycle rely on the tight regulation of stage-specific gene expression. This review outlines the mechanisms involved in Plasmodium falciparum sexual stage development in both the human and mosquito vector, and zygote to oocyst differentiation. Functional studies unravel mechanisms employed by P. falciparum to orchestrate the expression of stage-specific functional products required to succeed in its complex life cycle, thus providing us with potential targets for developing new therapeutics. These mechanisms are based on studies conducted with various Plasmodium species, including predominantly P. falciparum and the rodent malaria parasites P. berghei. However, the great potential of epigenetics, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and functional genetic studies to improve the understanding of malaria as a disease remains partly untapped because of limitations in studies using human malaria parasites and field isolates.
Subject
Virology,Microbiology (medical),Microbiology
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