Last Updated: 18/06/2024

Translational Control In Plasmodiuim falciparum

Objectives

The aim of this project is to conduct a comprehensive investigation on the systemic regulation of translation during stress responses in the parasite P. falciparum.
Specific objectives are;
1) to characterize a novel and universally conserved ribosome associated factor in P.falciparum and its role in stress responses.
2) to provide supporting evidence for the presence of functionally specialized ribosomes.
3) to identify common stress response pathways through studying the tRNA epitranscriptome.
4) to develop a high-throughput drug screening assay

Principal Institution

Karolinska Institute (KI), Sweden

Principal Investigators / Focal Persons

Mats Wahlgren
Ola Larsson
Sherwin Chan

Rationale and Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum is a parasite that causes human malaria which remains one of the most important infectious diseases worldwide. Managing this global emergency will require a deeper understanding of the resistance mechanisms developed by the parasite to survive in the presence of artemisnins,  as well as opening up new therapeutic avenues. As of recently, mounting evidence converges to suggest a strong tie between the phenotypic characteristics of artemisinin resistance to general cellular stress response mechanisms. The reserachers will approach the aim of this project by first establishing a deeper understanding of the ribosome and the transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) biology in the parasite with the use of various molecular assays and subsequently decipher how the regulation of  two abundant non-coding ribonucleic acid (ncRNA) classes may affect the translatome and the functional proteome output during stress conditions.

Date

Jan 2022 — Dec 2025

Total Project Funding

$795,542

Funding Details
Swedish Research Council (SRC), Sweden

Grant ID: 2021-03141_VR
SEK 7.2M
Country / Project Site(s)

Sweden

SHARE
SHARE