Phenotypic screens identify genetic factors associated with gametocyte development in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Chawla, J. et al. (2023) Phenotypic screens identify genetic factors associated with gametocyte development in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Microbiology Spectrum, 11(3), e0416422. (doi: 10.1128/spectrum.04164-22) (PMID:37154686) (PMCID:PMC10269797)

Abstract

Transmission of the deadly malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum from humans to mosquitoes is achieved by specialized intraerythrocytic sexual forms called gametocytes. Though the crucial regulatory mechanisms leading to gametocyte commitment have recently come to light, networks of genes that control sexual development remain to be elucidated. Here, we report a pooled-mutant screen to identify genes associated with gametocyte development in P. falciparum. Our results categorized genes that modulate gametocyte progression as hypoproducers or hyperproducers of gametocytes, and the in-depth analysis of individual clones confirmed phenotypes in sexual commitment rates and putative functions in gametocyte development. We present a new set of genes that have not been implicated in gametocytogenesis before and demonstrate the potential of forward genetic screens in isolating genes impacting parasite sexual biology, an exciting step toward the discovery of new antimalarials for a globally significant pathogen.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Sollelis, Miss Lauriane and Otto, Professor Thomas and Marti, Professor Matthias
• Authors: Chawla, J., Goldowitz, I., Oberstaller, J., Zhang, M., Pires, C. V., Navarro, F., Sollelis, L., Wang, C. C. Q., Seyfang, A., Dvorin, J., Otto, T. D., Rayner, J. C., Marti, M., and Adams, J. H.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Research Centre: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Immunobiology
• Journal Name: Microbiology Spectrum
• Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
• ISSN: 2165-0497
• ISSN (Online): 2165-0497
• Published Online: 08 May 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 Chawla et al.
• First Published: First published in Microbiology Spectrum 11(3):e0416422
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License