Plasmodium_molecular_tools

Plasmodium molecular tools

Plasmodium molecular tools

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Plasmodium molecular tools are a set of methods for the genetic manipulation of the parasite genus Plasmodium. Plasmodium species have been difficult to scientifically study, partially due to the inability of many standard biological techniques to genetically alter the organism. Recent research has sought to overcome these technical barriers in order to make the parasite more amenable to study. Below is a description of published methods of genetic control within the Plasmodium parasite.

Transformation

DNA level

Transcription regulation

Integration systems

Recombination systems

Transposon systems

RNA level

  • RNAi
  • antisense
  • self-cleaving ribozyme - A failed attempt to use an inducible self-cleaving ribozyme to control mRNA degradation of fused transcripts (P. falciparum)[5]

Protein level

  • FKBP destabilization domain - ligand (Shld1)-regulatable domain to promote degradation of fusion protein (P. falciparum)[6]
  • DHFR destabilization domain - ligand (Trimethoprim)-regulatable domain to promote degradation of fusion protein P. falciparum. By virtue of protein being tagged to a DHFR degradation domain from E. coli, as well as GFP and an HA-tag, protein levels can be regulated, cellular localization of the protein can be determined, and the protein can be purified from cultured parasites.[7]

References

  1. [1]
    Meissner, M; Krejany, E; Gilson, PR; De Koning-Ward, TF; Soldati, D; Crabb, BS (2005). "Tetracycline analogue-regulated transgene expression in Plasmodium falciparum blood stages using Toxoplasma gondii transactivators". PNAS. 102 (8): 2980–2985. Bibcode:2005PNAS..102.2980M. doi:10.1073/pnas.0500112102. PMC 548799. PMID 15710888.
  2. [2]
    Nkrumah, LJ; Muhle, RA; Moura, PA; Ghosh, P; Hatfull, GF; Jacobs Jr, WR; Fidock, DA (2006). "Efficient site-specific integration in Plasmodium falciparum chromosomes mediated by mycobacteriophage Bxb1 integrase". Nature Methods. 3 (8): 615–621. doi:10.1038/nmeth904. PMC 2943413. PMID 16862136.
  3. [3]
    Carvalho, TG; Thiberge, S; Sakamoto, H; Ménard, R (2004). "Conditional mutagenesis using site-specific recombination in Plasmodium berghei transactivators". PNAS. 101 (41): 14931–14936. doi:10.1073/pnas.0404416101. PMC 522007. PMID 15465918.
  4. [4]
    Balu, B; Shoue, DA; Fraser Jr, MJ; Adams, JH (2005). "High-efficiency transformation of Plasmodium falciparum by the lepidopteran transposable element piggyBac". PNAS. 102 (45): 16391–16396. Bibcode:2005PNAS..10216391B. doi:10.1073/pnas.0504679102. PMC 1275597. PMID 16260745.
  5. [5]
    Agop-Nersesian (2008). "Functional expression of ribozymes in Apicomplexa: Towards exogenous control of gene expression by inducible RNA-cleavage". International Journal for Parasitology. 38 (6): 673–81. doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2007.10.015. PMID 18062972.
  6. [6]
    Armstrong, CM; Goldberg, DE (2007). "An FKBP destabilization domain modulates protein levels in Plasmodium falciparum". Nature Methods. 4 (12): 1007–1009. doi:10.1038/nmeth1132. PMID 17994030. S2CID 3314981.
  7. [7]
    Muralidharan, V; Goldberg, DE (2011). "Asparagine repeat function in a Plasmodium falciparum protein assessed via a regulatable fluorescent affinity tag". PNAS. 108 (11): 4411–4416. Bibcode:2011PNAS..108.4411M. doi:10.1073/pnas.1018449108. PMC 3060247. PMID 21368162.
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