title: An assay to probe Plasmodium falciparum growth, transmission stage formation and early gametocyte development.
abstract: Conversion from asexual proliferation to sexual differentiation initiates the production of the gametocyte, which is the malaria parasite stage required for human-to-mosquito transmission. This protocol describes an assay designed to probe the effect of drugs or other perturbations on asexual replication, sexual conversion and early gametocyte development in the major human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Synchronized asexually replicating parasites are induced for gametocyte production by the addition of conditioned medium, and they are then exposed to the treatment of interest during sexual commitment or at any subsequent stage of early gametocyte development. Flow cytometry is used to measure asexual proliferation and gametocyte production via DNA dye staining and the gametocyte-specific expression of a fluorescent protein, respectively. This screening approach may be used to identify and evaluate potential transmission-blocking compounds and to further investigate the mechanism of sexual conversion in malaria parasites. The full protocol can be completed in 11 d.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Nicolas M B
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Brancucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Ilana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goldowitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Buchholz
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Werling
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marti
mesh_terms: D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000635:transmission; D010274:Parasitology / Q000379:methods; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000502:physiology*