title: Mosquito Passage Dramatically Changes var Gene Expression in Controlled Human Plasmodium falciparum Infections.
abstract: Virulence of the most deadly malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is linked to the variant surface antigen PfEMP1, which is encoded by about 60 var genes per parasite genome. Although the expression of particular variants has been associated with different clinical outcomes, little is known about var gene expression at the onset of infection. By analyzing controlled human malaria infections via quantitative real-time PCR, we show that parasite populations from 18 volunteers expressed virtually identical transcript patterns that were dominated by the subtelomeric var gene group B and, to a lesser extent, group A. Furthermore, major changes in composition and frequency of var gene transcripts were detected between the parental parasite culture that was used to infect mosquitoes and Plasmodia recovered from infected volunteers, suggesting that P. falciparum resets its var gene expression during mosquito passage and starts with the broad expression of a specific subset of var genes when entering the human blood phase.
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department of Molecular Parasitology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bachmann
authors.affiliation: Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petter
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine and German Center for Infection Research, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krumkamp
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine and German Center for Infection Research, partner site Tübingen, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Meral
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine and German Center for Infection Research, partner site Tübingen, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Held
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department of Molecular Parasitology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Judith A M
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.affiliation: Sanaria Inc., Rockville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Sanaria Inc., Rockville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: B Kim Lee
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.affiliation: Sanaria Inc., Rockville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine and German Center for Infection Research, partner site Tübingen, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.|Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Kremsner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Medicine and German Center for Infection Research, partner site Tübingen, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.|Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mordmüller
authors.affiliation: Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department of Molecular Parasitology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Egbert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tannich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000940:Antigenic Variation / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D009033:Culicidae; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000635:transmission; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger