Last Updated: 06/10/2025
Defenses against malaria in host-pathogen interactions
Objectives
By combining field and laboratory methodologies and emerging technologies (genomic and transcriptomic data, bioinformatics processing) across diverse disciplines (evolutionary ecology, immunoecology, entomology, parasitology, ornithology, bioinformatics, biochemistry), this project aims to:
- explore the role of uropygial secretion as a defense mechanism in vector-host interactions;
- reveal regulatory genome changes in vectors during exposure to uropygial secretions;
- investigate the potential association between the uropygial microbiome and the malaria infection; and
- analyze the effects of malaria infection on bird gene expression during the different stages of parasite development.
In a changing world, where the incidence of pathogens and vector-borne diseases such as malaria is increasing, anticipating changes in parasitic dynamics is a huge global health challenge. Hemosporidia include the agents of human malaria, but there are more than 400 species that cause morbidity and mortality in reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals worldwide. However, wildlife malaria has often been neglected in biodiversity conservation studies. The uropygial gland is unique to birds. Recent studies have revealed that its secretion may play a role in the interactions between birds and malaria vectors, but its mechanisms of insecticidal action remain unknown. Due to the rapid emergence of insecticide-resistant vectors worldwide, the development of new control tools is urgently needed. Genomic studies will be essential to reveal the metabolic pathways of mosquitoes exposed to its uropygial secretion and to identify target genes for new insecticides. Transcriptomic studies analyzing gene expression during malaria infection are an important tool for analyzing defenses against pathogens. Recent advances have revealed genes, RNA expression, and immune pathways involved in establishing and initiating infection. However, our understanding of gene expression in response to malaria infection is limited. Recently, it has been shown that parasites can induce changes in gene expression in their hosts to overcome their defense mechanisms. However, whether malaria can affect metabolic pathways involved in uropygial secretion remains unknown. The study of the microbiome in wildlife is crucial for elucidating coevolutionary relationships and genomic interactions between host and parasite. The preliminary results have shown a specific association between bacteria in the uropygial gland microbiome and malaria infection, raising new questions about the role of the uropygial gland in pathogen defense.
Jan 2022
$117,504
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