Prevalence of <em>Schistosoma </em>mono- and co-infections with multiple common parasites and associated risk factors and morbidity profile among... (Publications)
BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis remains an important public health problem, also among adults, and infected individuals not treated serve as a reservoir for continued transmission. Despite this fact, evid
The 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 is an essential upstream activator of protein kinase A in malaria parasites (Publications)
that overexpression of PfPKAc is lethal and kills parasites at the early phase of schizogony. Strikingly, whole genome sequencing (WGS) of parasite mutants selected to tolerate increased PfPKAc expression [...] (PKA) signalling is essential for the proliferation of Plasmodium falciparum malaria blood stage parasites. The mechanisms regulating the activity of the catalytic subunit PfPKAc, however, are only partially [...] expression levels identified missense mutations exclusively in the gene...
PfMAP-2 is essential for male gametogenesis in the malaria parasite<em> Plasmodium falciparum</em> (Publications)
In malaria parasites, male gametogenesis is a proliferative stage essential for parasite transmission to the mosquito vector. It is a rapid process involving three rounds of genome replication alternating [...] suggest that MAPK activity plays no major role in the biology of both asexual and sexual blood stage parasites up until the point of male gametogenesis.
Genome-wide identification of molecular mimicry candidates in parasites (Publications)
strategies employed by parasites for immune evasion and host manipulation, one of the most fascinating is molecular mimicry. With genome sequences available for host and parasite, mimicry of linear amino [...] versions of the parasite proteins to get an estimate of statistical significance. This simple but computation-intensive approach yielded interesting candidates from human-pathogenic parasites. From Plasmodium [...] identification of molecular mimicry candidate proteins or epitopes. The...
Comparative genomics of metabolic networks of free-living and parasitic eukaryotes (Publications)
lost in adaptation to parasitism. Here we compare the predicted core metabolic graphs of obligate endoparasites and non-parasites (free living organisms and facultative parasites) in order to analyze how [...] the parasites' metabolic networks shrunk in the course of evolution. RESULTS: Core metabolic graphs comprising biochemical reactions present in the presumed ancestor of parasites and non-parasites were [...] non-parasites. The parasites' networks contained a higher percentage of...
Revisiting the effect of pharmaceuticals on transmission stage formation in the malaria parasite <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em> (Publications)
Malaria parasites rely on specialized stages, called gametocytes, to ensure human-to-human transmission. The formation of these sexual precursor cells is initiated by commitment of blood stage parasites to [...] observed at drug concentrations that inhibit parasite survival and only rarely result in a net increase of gametocyte production. Using a drug-resistant parasite reporter line, we further show that the g [...] to the sexual differentiation pathway. Plasmodium falciparum, the most...
