Download or read book Exploring Chromatin Organization and Regulation in Human Malaria Parasites written by Gayani Dinusha Batugedara and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Collectively, our data highlight the importance of spatial genome organization as a mechanism of transcriptional regulation in malaria parasites, and our work directly addresses one of the central outstanding questions in Plasmodium biology, namely, how a parasite with approximately 6,000 genes manages to control gene expression in a coordinated fashion using a limited number of transcription factors.
Download or read book An Exploration of Transcriptional Regulation in the Human Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Falciparum written by Xueqing Lu and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Approximately half of the world's population is at risk of malaria transmission, and this number can be expected to grow as drug resistant strains continue to develop. Among the human infectious Plasmodium species, Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe and lethal form of malaria. This parasite has an extreme AT-rich genome and a complex life cycle that is likely to be regulated by coordinate changes in gene expression. However, the mechanisms behind this fine-tuned gene expression and regulation system remain elusive. For instance, only a limited number of transcription factors have been identified. Recent studies suggest that epigenetic and post-transcriptional regulation may be used as alternative regulation strategies to compensate for the lack of transcription factors in this parasite. Therefore, in this dissertation work, we further explored the transcriptome, epigenome, and the proteome to better understand the transcriptional mechanisms in P. falciparum. In chapter 1, we demonstrated that genes are usually defined by unique nucleosomal features and that nucleosome landscape alone could be used to identify novel genes in organisms with a nucleotide bias. Next, we investigated nascent RNA expression profiles and observed that the majority of genes are transcribed at the trophozoite stage in response to the open chromatin structure of that stage. These results helped us link chromatin reorganization events to transcriptional activity and highlighted the importance of epigenetic and post-transcriptional regulation in this parasite. Therefore, in the latter two chapters, we further examined the proteasome and transcriptome isolated from both nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions to identify potential chromatin regulators. As a result, we identified a large number of chromatin-associated proteins and lncRNAs that are likely to have important roles in chromatin regulation and post-transcriptional and translational regulations. Collectively, data and results from these studies will become stepping-stones for future malaria studies and further assist the identification of promising anti-malarial drug targets.
Download or read book DNA Sequence Context and the Chromatin Landscape Differentiate Sequence specific Transcription Factor Binding in the Human Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Falciparum written by Victoria Bonnell and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Malaria, caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, remains a major global health burden, with 247 million cases and killing 619,000 in 2021 alone. In Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest human malaria parasite, about 90% of the protein-coding genes are transcribed in a periodic fashion over the 48-hour intraerythrocytic development cycle (IDC), with the peak transcript abundance generally occurring just before the protein is required. The periodicity of transcription forms a genome-wide cascade of continuous gene expression, which is believed to be finely regulated by a limited number of transcriptional regulators, including the 30-member Apicomplexan APETALA2 (ApiAP2) family of sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs). Interestingly, this family of proteins has AP2 DNA-binding domains only evolutionarily conserved in plant-linage genomes and Apicomplexan parasites, making them potential drug targets for novel antimalarial therapeutics in humans. The current literature is focused only on identifying regulatory networks controlled by the ApiAP2 TFs; however, dissecting the molecular mechanisms of their genome-wide binding pattern is still understudied. Knowing mechanisms of binding site selection of putative drug targets is critical to identifying essential interactions or features to be blocked. This dissertation elucidates the biological function and binding specificity of a subset of ApiAP2 TFs, which each recognize similar DNA sequence motifs in vitro, along with their chromatin-remodeling interaction partners. This project applies in vitro, in vivo, and in silico approaches to identify how sequence preferences are established during parasite development by probing the effects of cis- and trans- regulation on TF binding, in addition to dissecting the function of these TFs in parasite development. In higher eukaryotes, TFs with similar binding preferences can carry out different regulatory functions in a given cell type, work synergistically or antagonistically, perform similar functions in different cell types, or can be fully redundant and only necessary in the event that the primary factor cannot function. The occurrence of multiple TFs recognizing similar DNA sequence motifs in P. falciparum is intriguing since functional gene redundancy is not often evolutionarily conserved in pathogens. Therefore, despite the similar DNA binding motifs of these proteins, we predict that they carry out distinct regulatory functions in the parasite. There are several established features investigated by this work that can modulate binding specificity of a TF such as: DNA sequence context/intrinsic DNA shape, interaction with cofactors, histone post-translational modification, and chromatin accessibility. It is critical to understand which features, or combinations thereof, influence binding specificity of transcriptional regulators in P. falciparum to inform future antimalarial drug development.
Download or read book RNA Based Regulation in Human Health and Disease written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-08-19 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: RNA-based Regulation in Human Health and Disease offers an in-depth exploration of RNA mediated genome regulation at different hierarchies. Beginning with multitude of canonical and non-canonical RNA populations, especially noncoding RNA in human physiology and evolution, further sections examine the various classes of RNAs (from small to large noncoding and extracellular RNAs), functional categories of RNA regulation (RNA-binding proteins, alternative splicing, RNA editing, antisense transcripts and RNA G-quadruplexes), dynamic aspects of RNA regulation modulating physiological homeostasis (aging), role of RNA beyond humans, tools and technologies for RNA research (wet lab and computational) and future prospects for RNA-based diagnostics and therapeutics. One of the core strengths of the book includes spectrum of disease-specific chapters from experts in the field highlighting RNA-based regulation in metabolic & neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, inflammatory disease, viral and bacterial infections. We hope the book helps researchers, students and clinicians appreciate the role of RNA-based regulation in genome regulation, aiding the development of useful biomarkers for prognosis, diagnosis, and novel RNA-based therapeutics. Comprehensive information of non-canonical RNA-based genome regulation modulating human health and disease Defines RNA classes with special emphasis on unexplored world of noncoding RNA at different hierarchies Disease specific role of RNA - causal, prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic Features contributions from leading experts in the field
Download or read book Apicomplexan Parasites written by Katja Becker and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-01-19 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook is the first dealing with the discovery of drugs directed against apicomplexan parasites. Amongst others, this group of endoparasites includes the causative agents of Malaria, Toxoplasmosis, and Babesiosis, the latter occurring mainly in animals. Written by renowned scientific experts from academia and industry, the book focuses on currentdrug development approaches for all apicomplexan diseases making it appealing to a large audience, ranging from research labs in academia to the human and veterinarian pharmaceutical industry. This work is the second volume of the new book series 'Drug Discovery in Infectious Diseases', edited by Prof. Dr Paul M. Selzer.
Download or read book The Malaria Genome Projects written by Irwin W. Sherman and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2012 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The year 2012 marks the tenth anniversary of the announcement of the genome sequence of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and that of its mosquito vector Anopheles. The genome sequences were a result of the Plasmodium falciparum Genome Project. This book covers in detail the biology of malaria parasites and the mosquitoes that transmit the disease, how the Genome Project came into being, the people who created it, and the cadre of scientists who are attempting to see the promise of the Project realized. The promise was: a more complete understanding of the genes of the parasite (and its vector) would provide a rational basis for the development of antimalarial drugs and vaccines, allow a better understanding of the regulation of the complex life cycle in the red blood and liver cells of the human, identify the genes the parasite uses to thwart the host immune response and the ways in which the parasite evades cure by drug treatments, as well as leading to more effective measures of control transmission. The hope was that cracking the genetic code of Plasmodium and Anopheles would reveal the biochemical Achilles heel of the parasite and its vector, leading to the development of novel drugs and better methods of control, and by finding the targets of protective immunity could result in the manufacture of effective vaccines. Through a historic approach, this book will allow for those new to the field, or those with insufficient background in the sciences, to have an easier entry point. Even scientists already working in the field may better appreciate how discoveries made in the past can impact the direction of future research.
Download or read book Rodent Malaria written by R. Killick-Kendrick and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rodent Malaria reviews significant findings concerning malaria parasites of rodents, including their taxonomy, zoogeography, and evolution, along with life cycles and morphology; genetics and biochemistry; and concomitant infections. This volume is organized into eight chapters and begins by sketching out the history of the discovery of rodent as well as aspects of parasitology, immunology, and chemotherapy. These concepts are investigated two decades following Ignace Vincke's major discovery and Meir Yoeli's successful establishment of the method of cyclical transmission of the parasite. The following chapters focus on the taxonomy and systematics of the subgenus Vinckeia, with reference to the concepts of species and subspecies of animals and the degree to which they apply to malaria parasites, in particular to those of rodents. The discussion then shifts to how the rodent malaria parasites provide a unique insight into the subcellular organization of Plasmodium species, the use of rodent malaria as an experimental model to study immunological responses, and infectious agents that interact with malaria parasites. The book concludes with a chapter on malaria chemotherapy, with emphasis on the value of rodent malaria in antimalarial drug screening and the use of antimalarial drugs as biological probes. This book will be of interest to protozoologists and physicians as well as those from other disciplines including biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology, cell biology, and genetics.
Download or read book Molecular Parasitology written by Julia Walochnik and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-10-20 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the past years, genome projects for numerous human parasites have been completed and now allow first in depth comparisons and evolutionary conclusions. The genomes of parasites reflect the coevolution with their host, metabolic capacities depending on their respective habitat in the host. Gut parasites usually have an anaerobic metabolism, while blood parasites have an aerobic metabolism, intracellular parasites escape the immune system, while extracellular parasites evade the immune system, usually by antigenic variation. Comprehensive genome data now being available allow us to address profound scientific questions, such as which traits enable the parasite to survive in the human host, which to cause disease and which can be used as drug targets. This book intends to give an overview of the state of knowledge on “the molecules” of protozoan parasites – on their genomes, proteomes, glycomes and lipidomes.
Download or read book Epigenetics of Infectious Diseases written by Walter Doerfler and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-05-26 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present volume of Epigenetics and Human Health is devoted to the patho-epigenetics of viral and microbial infections, an exiting new field of disease-related epigenetic research. As recognized during the past years, epigenetic reprogramming of pathogen and host genome functions – the latter frequently induced by pathogens – plays an important role in many infectious processes. Beyond their immediate relevance for pathogen proliferation and obligatorily associated symptoms, such alterations frequently contribute to severe additional complications, such as the development of immunodeficiency, cancer and various chronic disorders. This holds in particular for epigenetic dysregulation of host gene expression induced by latent infections. The present book summarizes current knowledge of the mechanisms underlying epigenetic changes caused by viral, bacterial, fungal and protozoan infections and their impact on human health.
Download or read book Malaria Parasites written by Andrew P. Waters and published by Caister Academic Press Limited. This book was released on 2004 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The completion of the Plasmodium falciparum genome sequence in late 2002 heralded a new era in malaria research. The search began in earnest for new drugs and vaccines to combat malaria, a disease which afflicts up to 500 million people worldwide and is responsible for the deaths of more than one million people each year. The new genomic data is aiding a greater understanding of the living parasite and its interaction with the insect vector and human host. In this book internationally renowned experts provide up-to-date reviews of the most important aspects of post-genomic malaria research. Topics covered include: the P. falciparum genome and model parasites, bioinformatics and genome databases, microsatellite analysis, analysis of chromosome structure, cell cycle to RNA polymerase I and II mediated gene expression, role of the nuclear genome, the parasite surface and cell biology, and much more. The book is essential to all researchers working in this highly topical field and is recommended reading for scientists in other areas of biology and medicine.
Download or read book World Malaria Report 2018 written by World Health Organization and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2019-02-12 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This year s report shows that after an unprecedented period of success in global malaria control progress has stalled. Data from 2015?2017 highlight that no significant progress in reducing global malaria cases was made in this period. There were an estimated 219 million cases and 435 000 related deaths in 2017. The World malaria report 2018 draws on data from 90 countries and areas with ongoing malaria transmission. The information is supplemented by data from national household surveys and databases held by other organizations.
Download or read book Parasite Genomics written by Luis M. de Pablos and published by Humana. This book was released on 2021-07-28 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This detailed book provides a comprehensive series of innovative research techniques and methodologies applied to the parasite genomics research area, all applying different approaches to analyzing parasite genomes and furthering the study of genetic complexity and the mechanisms of regulation. Beginning with chapters on novel sequencing and the bioinformatics pipeline, the volume continues by exploring diagnostic approaches using genomic tools, host-parasite interactions, as well as the genomics of parasite-derived extracellular vesicles. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Parasite Genomics: Methods and Protocols creates a detailed picture of genomic approaches for researchers seeking a better understanding of characterizing parasite nucleic acid content.
Download or read book Comprehensive Analysis of Parasite Biology written by Sylke Müller and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-07-19 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written and edited by experts in the field, this book brings together the current state of the art in phenotypic and rational, target-based approaches to drug discovery against pathogenic protozoa. The chapters focus particularly on virtual compounds and high throughput screening, natural products, computer-assisted drug design, structure-based drug design, mechanism of action identification, and pathway modelling. Furthermore, state-of the art "omics" technologies are described and currently studied enzymatic drug targets are discussed. Mathematical, systems biology-based approaches are introduced as new methodologies for dissecting complex aspects of pathogen survival mechanisms and for target identification. In addition, recently developed anti-parasitic agents targeting particular pathways, which serve as lead compounds for further drug development, are presented.
Download or read book Genes and Genomes written by R.S. Verma and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1998-06-03 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The laws of inheritance were considered quite superficial until 1903, when the chromosome theory of heredity was established by Sutton and Boveri. The discovery of the double helix and the genetic code led to our understanding of gene structure and function. For the past quarter of a century, remarkable progress has been made in the characterization of the human genome in order to search for coherent views of genes. The unit of inheritance termed factor or gene, once upon a time thought to be a trivial an imaginary entity, is now perceived clearly as the precise unit of inheritance that has continually deluged us with amazement by its complex identity and behaviour, sometimes bypassing the university of Mendel's law. The aim of the fifth volume, entitled Genes and Genomes, is to cover the topics ranging from the structure of DNA itself to the structure of the complete genome, along with everything in between, encompassing 12 chapters. These chapters relate much of the information accumulated on the role of DNA in the organization of genes and genomes per se. Several distinguished scientists, all pre-eminent authorities in each field to share their expertise. Obviously, since the historical report on the double helix configuration in 1953, voluminous reports on the meteoric advances in genetics have been accumulated, and to cover every account in a single volume format would be a Herculean task. Therefore, only a few topics are chosen, which are of great interest to molecular geneticists. This volume is intended for advanced graduate students who would wish to keep abreast with the most recent trends in genome biology.
Download or read book Chromatin and Epigenetics written by Colin Logie and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2020-01-29 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Genomics has gathered broad public attention since Lamarck put forward his top-down hypothesis of 'motivated change' in 1809 in his famous book "Philosophie Zoologique" and even more so since Darwin published his famous bottom-up theory of natural selection in "The Origin of Species" in 1859. The public awareness culminated in the much anticipated race to decipher the sequence of the human genome in 2002. Over all those years, it has become apparent that genomic DNA is compacted into chromatin with a dedicated 3D higher-order organization and dynamics, and that on each structural level epigenetic modifications exist. The book "Chromatin and Epigenetics" addresses current issues in the fields of epigenetics and chromatin ranging from more theoretical overviews in the first four chapters to much more detailed methodologies and insights into diagnostics and treatments in the following chapters. The chapters illustrate in their depth and breadth that genetic information is stored on all structural and dynamical levels within the nucleus with corresponding modifications of functional relevance. Thus, only an integrative systems approach allows to understand, treat, and manipulate the holistic interplay of genotype and phenotype creating functional genomes. The book chapters therefore contribute to this general perspective, not only opening opportunities for a true universal view on genetic information but also being key for a general understanding of genomes, their function, as well as life and evolution in general.
Download or read book Human Genome Editing written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-08-13 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Genome editing is a powerful new tool for making precise alterations to an organism's genetic material. Recent scientific advances have made genome editing more efficient, precise, and flexible than ever before. These advances have spurred an explosion of interest from around the globe in the possible ways in which genome editing can improve human health. The speed at which these technologies are being developed and applied has led many policymakers and stakeholders to express concern about whether appropriate systems are in place to govern these technologies and how and when the public should be engaged in these decisions. Human Genome Editing considers important questions about the human application of genome editing including: balancing potential benefits with unintended risks, governing the use of genome editing, incorporating societal values into clinical applications and policy decisions, and respecting the inevitable differences across nations and cultures that will shape how and whether to use these new technologies. This report proposes criteria for heritable germline editing, provides conclusions on the crucial need for public education and engagement, and presents 7 general principles for the governance of human genome editing.
Download or read book Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance written by Mihail C. Roco and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 477 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: M. C. Roco and W.S. Bainbridge In the early decades of the 21st century, concentrated efforts can unify science based on the unity of nature, thereby advancing the combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and new technologies based in cognitive science. With proper attention to ethical issues and societal needs, converging in human abilities, societal technologies could achieve a tremendous improvement outcomes, the nation's productivity, and the quality of life. This is a broad, cross cutting, emerging and timely opportunity of interest to individuals, society and humanity in the long term. The phrase "convergent technologies" refers to the synergistic combination of four major "NBIC" (nano-bio-info-cogno) provinces of science and technology, each of which is currently progressing at a rapid rate: (a) nanoscience and nanotechnology; (b) biotechnology and biomedicine, including genetic engineering; (c) information technology, including advanced computing and communications; (d) cognitive science, including cognitive neuroscience. Timely and Broad Opportunity. Convergence of diverse technologies is based on material unity at the nanoscale and on technology integration from that scale.
