Last Updated: 10/11/2024
Elucidation of the rule of Plasmodium parasite specific rhoptry protein in liver infection
Objectives
The goal of this study is to elucidate the function of Rhoptry-associated leucine zipper-like protein 1 (RALP1) in the sporozoite stage of Plasmodium berghei, particularly during liver infection. By using a sporozoite stage-specific knockdown system, the researchers aim to understand the role of RALP1 in parasite proliferation and invasion, given its apparent essentiality in the blood stage and potential importance in liver-stage infections.
Rhoptry-associated leucine zipper-like protein 1 (RALP1) is one of rhoptry proteins which are conserved among in infective stage, merozoite and sporozoite. The attempts to generate RALP1 knockout parasites have failed possibly due to its essentiality for the parasite proliferation during blood stage. Therefore, until now, the function of RALP1 in sporozoites remains unelucidated.
The amount of ralp1 mRNA in RALP1-cKD sporozoites were 10-fold lower than those in RALP1-control sporozoites. Parasitemias of RALP1-cKD sporozoite inoculated mice at 3 days after sporozoite inoculation were about 10-fold lower than those of RALP1-control sporozoite inoculated mice. It suggests that RALP1 plays an important role during liver infection stage of sporozoites.
Apr 2018 — Mar 2020
$38,074
Related Resources
