Last Updated: 28/11/2025
Female-specific gene regulation in malaria parasites by an AP2-family transcription factor
Objectives
*Original title and text were machine translated from Japanese
This project aims to understand if the AP2-family transcription factor AP2-F is crucial for female-specific gene regulation in malaria parasites, specifically in Plasmodium berghei.
The malarial gametocyte, the gamete precursor, is the parasite stage obligatory for malarial transmission to the mosquito vector. It is reported that an AP2-family transcription factor, AP2-F, is responsible for female-specific gene regulation. AP2-F expression in Plasmodium berghei was observed exclusively in female gametocytes. AP2-F disruption resulted in the arrest of female maturation, but did not affect the development of males. ChIP-seq analysis showed that AP2-FG directly regulates over 750 genes. Its targets include genes for female gametocyte-specific functions, such as gametogenesis, fertilization, and zygote development. AP2-F binding to target gene promoters was associated with a 10-bp sequence motif. These results indicate that AP2-F plays a role in the differentiation of early gametocytes into mature females by governing a female-specific gene expression repertoire.
Apr 2016 — Mar 2019
$43,542
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