2017年9月7日, 國際學術權威刊物自然出版集團旗下子刊《Nature Communication》雜誌線上發表了廈門大學生命科學學院寄生原蟲分子遺傳學課題組蘇新專研究員和美國國立衛生研究院/NIH的Sethu C. Nair博士研究團隊題為“The Plasmodium yoelii HECT-like E3 ubiquitin ligase regulates parasite growth and virulence”的研究論文。 NIH的Sethu C. Nair博士和我院15級博士生徐瑞雪為論文的共同第一作者, 通訊作者為蘇新專研究員和李劍助理教授。
由於缺少有效的瘧疾疫苗及抗藥性瘧原蟲的傳播和擴散, 在全世界每年仍有約35萬人死於瘧疾。 不同種類和不同蟲株的瘧原蟲感染宿主後引起的致病性表型各不相同, 引起致病力差異的原因在很大程度上仍是未知。
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原文摘要:
Infection of mice with strains of Plasmodium yoelii parasites can result in different pathology, but molecular mechanisms to explain this variation are unclear. Here we show that a P. yoelii gene encoding a HECT-like E3 ubiquitin ligase (Pyheul) influences parasitemia and host mortality. We genetically cross two lethal parasites with distinct disease phenotypes, and identify 43 genetically diverse progeny by typing with microsatellites and 9230 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. A genome-wide quantitative trait loci scan links parasite growth and host mortality to two major loci on chromosomes 1 and 7 with LOD (logarithm of the odds) scores = 6.1 and 8.1, respectively. Allelic exchange of partial sequences of Pyheul in the chromosome 7 locus and modification of the gene expression alter parasite growth and host mortality. This study identifies a gene that may have a function in parasite growth, virulence, and host–parasite interaction, and therefore could be a target for drug or vaccine development.