The sporogonic development of the parasite in the vector mosquito is a weak link in the course of malaria transmission from one human to another. If the development is interrupted, the transmission of malaria is blocked. Interference with this development in vector mosquitoes is, therefore, a rational strategy to block the spread of malaria. To design such strategies, however, an understanding of the biology of the parasite development in the vector mosquitoes is essential. The development of malaria parasites in the mosquito is elaborate. After being ingested by a mosquito, the parasite undergoes complex changes that occur in stages. These include development from gamete to zygote, transformation from zygote to ookinete, and development from ookinete to oocyst. Within the oocyst, the parasite multiplies into numerous sporozoites, which are infectious to humans. To understand the biology of malaria transmission all of the following need consideration. 1) It is important to understand the biology of the parasite development in mosquitoes, such as signaling pathways that controls parasite transformation from one stage to another. 2) One also needs to know the structural and biochemical properties of the mosquito tissues that the parasites must interact with for further development. 3) It is also essential to study the molecular, cellular and physical aspects of the parasite-mosquito interaction and 4) more importantly it is crucial to investigate how the parasite evades the insect immune system that is so potent in killing inoculated bacteria and fungi. We therefore investigate 1) the developmental changes that occur in the mosquito stages of the parasite, 2) the interaction of parasite with the mosquito midgut, and 3) the mosquito response to the invaded parasite.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Intramural Research (Z01)
Project #
1Z01AI000811-06
Application #
6669730
Study Section
(LPD)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Niaid Extramural Activities
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
State
Country
United States
Zip Code
Shahabuddin, Mohammed (2002) Do Plasmodium ookinetes invade a specific cell type in the mosquito midgut? Trends Parasitol 18:157-61
Silva-Neto, Mario A C; Atella, Georgia C; Shahabuddin, Mohammed (2002) Inhibition of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase blocks morphological differentiation of plasmodium gallinaceum zygotes to ookinetes. J Biol Chem 277:14085-91
Wang, P; Conrad, J T; Shahabuddin, M (2001) Localization of midgut-specific protein antigens from Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) using monoclonal antibodies. J Med Entomol 38:223-30
Shahabuddin, M; Costero, A (2001) Spatial distribution of factors that determine sporogonic development of malaria parasites in mosquitoes. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 31:231-40
Park, S S; Shahabuddin, M (2000) Structural organization of posterior midgut muscles in mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae. J Struct Biol 129:30-7
Killeen, G F; Foy, B D; Shahabuddin, M et al. (2000) Tagging bloodmeals with phagemids allows feeding of multiple-sample arrays to single cages of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and the recovery of single recombinant antibody fragment genes from individual insects. J Med Entomol 37:528-33
Schneider, D; Shahabuddin, M (2000) Malaria parasite development in a Drosophila model. Science 288:2376-9
Zieler, H; Garon, C F; Fischer, E R et al. (2000) A tubular network associated with the brush-border surface of the Aedes aegypti midgut: implications for pathogen transmission by mosquitoes. J Exp Biol 203:1599-611
Zieler, H; Nawrocki, J P; Shahabuddin, M (1999) Plasmodium gallinaceum ookinetes adhere specifically to the midgut epithelium of Aedes aegypti by interaction with a carbohydrate ligand. J Exp Biol 202:485-95
Shahabuddin, M; Vinetz, J M (1999) Chitinases of human parasites and their implications as antiparasitic targets. EXS 87:223-34

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