Functional genomics, new tools in malaria research.
The mosquito-transmitted unicellular parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the agent of malaria disease, still causes more than one million deaths every year in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. New intervention strategies are needed to contrast the insurgence of resistance to effective drugs and insecticides. The complete annotated genomes of the human parasite P. falciparum and the rodent model P. yoelii is now available thus providing a prediction of their possible gene products. This makes feasible the application of functional genomics to malaria research with the final goal of providing a complete survey of Plasmodium life cycle. Genome-wide approaches to the study of transcriptome or proteome were successfully applied to malaria parasite with the promise for new drug and vaccine candidates in the next future.
Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie ed Immunomediate, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Francesco
F
Di Girolamo
Carla
C
Raggi
Emanuele
E
Bultrini
Alessandra
A
Lanfrancotti
Francesco
F
Silvestrini
Massimo
M
Sargiacomo
Cecilia
C
Birago
Elisabetta
E
Pizzi
Pietro
P
Alano
Marta
M
Ponzi
D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000494:pharmacology; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D015195:Drug Design; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000737:chemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D010967:Plasmodium yoelii / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D012377:Rodentia / Q000469:parasitology; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000469:parasitology
D000962:Antimalarials; D001798:Blood Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D016053:RNA, Protozoan