GEO Accession viewer

NCBI > GEO > Accession Display

Not logged in | Login

GEO help: Mouse over screen elements for information.

Series GSE3877

Query DataSets for GSE3877

Status

Public on Dec 21, 2005

Title

Invasion by P. falciparum merozoites suggests a hierarchy of molecular interactions

Organism

Plasmodium falciparum

Experiment type

Expression profiling by array

Summary

Central to the pathology of malaria disease are the repeated cycles of parasite invasion and destruction of human
erythrocytes. In Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent species causing malaria, erythrocyte invasion involves
several specific receptor–ligand interactions that direct the pathway used to invade the host cell, with parasites
varying in their dependency on these different pathways. Gene disruption of a key invasion ligand in the 3D7 parasite
strain, the P. falciparum reticulocyte binding-like homolog 2b (PfRh2b), resulted in the parasite invading via a novel
pathway. Here, we show results that suggest the molecular basis for this novel pathway is not due to a molecular
switch but is instead mediated by the redeployment of machinery already present in the parent parasite but masked
by the dominant role of PfRh2b. This would suggest that interactions directing invasion are organized hierarchically,
where silencing of dominant invasion ligands reveal underlying alternative pathways. This provides wild parasites with
the ability to adapt to immune-mediated selection or polymorphism in erythrocyte receptors and has implications for
the use of invasion-related molecules in candidate vaccines.
Keywords: genetic modification

Overall design

10 arrays, with some biological replication (3D7 wildtype x 2, PfRh2b knockout x2, D10 wildtype x 2).

Contributor(s)

Baum J, Maier AG, Good RT, Simpson KM, Cowman AF

Citation(s)

16362075

Submission date

Dec 20, 2005

Last update date

Mar 16, 2012

Contact name

Ken Simpson