Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Preference of A/T ending codons in mitochondrial ATP6 gene under phylum Platyhelminthes: Codon usage of ATP6 gene in Platyhelminthes
Publication date: Available online 24 August 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Gulshana A Mazumder, Arif Uddin, Supriyo ChakrabortyAbstractUnequal usage of synonymous codons in the gene transcript for an amino acid is known as codon usage bias (CUB). It is a unique property of gene as well as genome. Mutation and natural selection are known to be the major factors that influence CUB. Other factors encompass gene expression level, GC content, codon position, recombination rate, RNA stability and gene length. CUB analysis helps in in-depth understanding of the molecular biology, genetics and genome...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - August 25, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Effect of inhibition of axonemal dynein ATPases on the regulation of flagellar and ciliary waveforms in Leishmania parasites
Publication date: Available online 23 August 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Aakash Gautam Mukhopadhyay, Chinmoy Sankar DeyAbstractTrypanosomes of the genus Leishmania swim by undulating motions of a single flagellum driven by axonemal dynein ATPases, essential for parasite survival and infectivity. The flagellum possesses two waveforms; flagellar (tip-to-base) responsible for forward movements and ciliary (base-to-tip) possibly responsible for reorientation in response to changes in surroundings. However, the role of dyneins in regulating the two waveforms remains unknown. Moreover, the unpred...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - August 24, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Antibodies against Schistosoma japonicum lactate dehydrogenase B enhance enzyme active
In this study, we cloned and characterized S. japonicum lactate dehydrogenase B (SjLDHB) to evaluate its role in parasite survival. We found SjLDHB was highly similar to S. japonicum lactate dehydrogenase A (SjLDHA) which is another LDH subtype in S. japonicum in amino acid sequence. The optimal temperature of SjLDHB catalytic activity was 37 °C, the optimal pH values for pyruvate reduction and lactate oxidation were 7.0 and 6.0 and Km values of pyruvate and lactate were 0.2752 and 0.2339 mM respectively. Then, we identified SjLDHB expression in male and female S. japonicum. Finally, we evaluated the influence of anti...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - August 23, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Lipid profiles in Himasthla elongata and their intermediate hosts, Littorina littorea and Mytilus edulis
Publication date: Available online 22 August 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Natalia Fokina, Tatiana Ruokolainen, Igor BakhmetAbstractIn this research, the lipid profiles in rediae and free-living larvae (cercariae) of the trematodes Himasthla elongata were studied. It was shown that the lipid profiles of cercariae and rediae reflect the selective accumulation of membrane phospholipids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. In addition, infected tissues’ lipid compositions in the intermediate hosts Littorina littorea (whole organism) and Mytilus edulis (foot) were studied. Modifications in the moll...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - August 23, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Development of microsatellite loci in zoonotic tapeworm Dibothriocephalus latus (Linnaeus, 1758), Lühe, 1899 (syn. Diphyllobothrium latum) using microsatellite library screening
Publication date: Available online 18 August 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Eva Bazsalovicsová, Alžbeta Koleničová, Ivica Králová-Hromadová, Gabriel Minárik, Katarína Šoltys, Roman Kuchta, Jan ŠtefkaAbstractThe broad fish tapeworm Dibothriocephalus latus is a causative agent of human food-borne disease called diphyllobothriosis. Medical importance, scattered geographical distribution and unknown origin of D. latus in Europe and North America make this species to be an interesting model for population genetics. Microsatellite markers were originally designed by library screening usin...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - August 19, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Molecular and functional characterization of glucose transporter genes of the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis
Publication date: Available online 18 August 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Takuya Kashiide, Shingo Kikuta, Misaki Yamaguchi, Takao Irie, Hirokazu Kouguchi, Kinpei Yagi, Jun MatsumotoAbstractAlveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a zoonotic parasitosis caused by larvae of the fox tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis. E. multilocularis is distributed widely in the Northern hemisphere, causing serious health problems in various animals and humans. E. multilocularis, like other cestodes, lacks a digestive tract and absorbs essential nutrients, including glucose, across the syncytial tegument on its ext...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - August 19, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Whole genome analysis of codon usage in Echinococcus
Publication date: Available online 3 August 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Lucas L. Maldonado, Georgina Stegmayer, Diego H. Milone, Guilherme Oliveira, Mara Rosenzvit, Laura KamenetzkyAbstractThe species of the genus Echinococcus are parasitic platyhelminths that cause echinococcosis and exert a global burden on public and animal health. Here we performed codon usage bias and comparative genomic analyses using whole genome and expression data of three Echinococcus species. The study of 4,710,883 codons, two orders of magnitude more than in previous research works, showed that the codon usage i...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - August 4, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

A single-point mutation in the RNA-binding protein 6 generates Trypanosoma brucei metacyclics that are able to progress to bloodstream forms in vitro
Publication date: Available online 25 July 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Huafang Shi, Kiantra Ramey-Butler, Christian TschudiAbstractWe previously established an in vitro differentiation system based on the inducible expression of the RNA binding protein 6 (RBP6), which initiated differentiation of Trypanosoma brucei non-infectious procyclics to infectious metacyclics (MFs). However, further differentiation to bloodstream forms (BFs) required infection of mice. Here we report the serendipitous isolation of a single point mutation in RBP6 (Q109 K), whose expression not only generated MFs, bu...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - July 26, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Different SNPs in Fasciola hepatica P-glycoprotein from diverse Latin American populations are not associated with Triclabendazole resistance
Publication date: Available online 25 July 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): María Victoria Solana, María Fernanda Domínguez, Silvana Scarcella, Santiago Radio, Pablo Smircich, Silvina Fernández, Hugo Solana, José F. TortABSTRACTThe use of Triclabendazole for controlling fasciolosis is compromised by increased drug resistance affecting livestock and humans. Although the mode of action of TCBZ is still unknown, putative candidates and markers of resistance have been advanced. A single nucleotide polymorphism (T687 G) in F. hepatica PGP was proposed as marker of resistance in a small scale s...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - July 25, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Expression of full-length Plasmodium falciparum P48/45 in P. berghei blood stages: a method to express and evaluate vaccine antigens
In this study we express full-length Pfs48/45 in the rodent parasite P. berghei. Pfs48/45 is expressed as a transgene under control of the strong P. berghei schizont-specific msp1 gene promoter (Pfs48/45@PbMSP1). Pfs48/45@PbMSP1 schizont-infected red blood cells produced full-length Pfs48/45 and the structural integrity of Pfs48/45 was confirmed using a panel of conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies that bind to different Pfs48/45 epitopes. Sera from mice immunized with transgenic Pfs48/45@PbMSP1 schizonts showed strong transmission-reducing activity in mosquitoes infected with P. falciparum using standard membrane f...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - July 25, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Functional characterisation of the actin-depolymerising factor from the apicomplexan Neospora caninum (NcADF)
Publication date: Available online 21 July 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Luciana Baroni, Luiz M. Pereira, Sutherland K. Maciver, Ana P. YatsudaAbstractNeospora caninum is an apicomplexan parasite that causes infectious abortion in cows. As an obligate intracellular parasite, N. caninum requires a host cell environment to survive and replicate. The locomotion and invasion mechanisms of apicomplexan parasites are centred on the actin-myosin system to propel the parasite forwards and into the host cell. The functions of actin, an intrinsically dynamic protein, are modulated by actin-binding prot...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - July 21, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Generation of Plasmodium yoelii malaria parasite carrying double fluorescence reporters in gametocytes
Publication date: Available online 21 July 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Cong Liu, Zhenkui Li, Yuanyuan Jiang, Huiting Cui, Jing YuanAbstractMale and female gametocytes are the infectious forms critical for malaria transmission and targets of intervention. Gametocytes are generally produced in relatively small numbers, and it has been difficult to obtain pure male and female gametocytes for various studies. Male and female gametocytes expressing unique fluorescence reporters have been generated for both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei parasites, which allows isolation of large nu...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - July 21, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes store cholesteryl esters in lipid droplets after cholesterol endocytosis
Publication date: September 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, Volume 224Author(s): Miria G. Pereira, Gonzalo Visbal, Tatiana F.R. Costa, Susana Frases, Wanderley de Souza, Geórgia Atella, Narcisa Cunha-e-SilvaAbstractThe Chagas disease agent Trypanosoma cruzi proliferates in the insect vector as highly endocytic epimastigotes that store nutrients, including lipids in reservosomes (lysosome related compartments). Although nutrient storage is important for epimastigote transformation into infective metacyclics, the epimastigote lipid droplets (LDs) remain uncharacterized. Here, we characterized the epimast...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - July 20, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

TbRRM1 knockdown produces abnormal cell morphology and apoptotic-like death in the bloodstream form of T. brucei
Publication date: September 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, Volume 224Author(s): Analía G. Níttolo, Carolina P. Bañuelos, Juan I. Saborit, Valeria Tekiel, Daniel O. Sánchez, Gabriela V. LevyAbstractTbRRM1, an SR-related protein, is involved in transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene expression regulation in procyclic T. brucei. In previous work, we found that TbRRM1 is essential and its depletion leads to cell cycle impairment, aberrant phenotypes and cell loss by apoptotic-like death. Here, we report the findings obtained after TbRRM1 knockdown in bloodstream parasites. Depletion of TbRRM1 in...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - July 20, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research

L-Glutamine uptake is developmentally regulated and is involved in metacyclogenesis in Trypanosoma cruzi
Publication date: Available online 17 July 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyAuthor(s): Flávia S. Damasceno, María Julia Barisón, Marcell Crispim, Rodolpho O.O. Souza, Letícia Marchese, Ariel M. SilberAbstractTrypanosoma cruzi, the aetiological agent of Chagas disease, can obtain L-glutamine (Gln) through the enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS) using glutamate (Glu) and ammonia as substrates. In this work, we show additional non-canonical roles for this amino acid: its involvement in ATP maintenance and parasite survival under severe metabolic stress conditions and its participation in the differentiation ...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - July 18, 2018 Category: Parasitology Source Type: research