Plasmodium vivax is the second most prevalent and the most geographically widespread malaria parasite, causing enormous morbidity and mortality in affected populations. Research on P. vivax malaria has lagged significantly behind, largely due to the lack of a continuous in vitro culture system. This parasite selectively invades reticulocytes, making long-term culture difficult. P. vivax gametocytes, which are responsible for transmission, are produced before the onset of the clinical symptoms. Though the first P. vivax genome was published in 2008, systematic comparison of the transcriptomes and proteomes of the asexual erythrocytic cycle is lacking and we know little about the developmental biology of P. vivax gametocytes. This project, built on recent advancement in humanized mouse model to study the liver stages of this parasite and our improved in vitro culture techniques for synchronous blood stages, aims to determine the temporal transcriptomes and proteomes during P. vivax asexual erythrocytic development and gametocytogenesis using RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry technologies, respectively. The comprehensive transcriptomic and proteomic data generated from this study will enable systems biology approaches to address the fundamental biology of asexual and sexual development of this neglected malaria parasite. This information is also deemed critical for the discovery of novel drugs and vaccines for the interruption of P. vivax transmission.
Of the five malaria parasites naturally infecting humans, P. vivax is the most widespread and causes enormous morbidity. With the significant contribution of the Plasmodium 'omics' information to our understanding of the parasite biology in the post-genomic era, this study aims to identify the transcriptomes and proteomes of the blood stages of P. vivax using RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry technologies. This work is made possible with the recently developed humanized mouse model and our improved in vitro culture technique for this parasite. The 'omics' data generated from this project will be valuable resources for the malaria research community, which will enable accelerated vaccine and drug discovery for this neglected disease.
