疟原虫有性阶段转录调控的研究进展

Research advances on transcriptional regulation in plasmodium sexual stages

疟疾是由疟原虫感染所致的传染性疾病。疟疾的传播依赖于疟原虫在脊椎动物和按蚊两个宿主内的交替发育。疟原虫有性配子体阶段是其从脊椎动物传递至按蚊的唯一阶段。疟原虫的有性转化、有性发育和配子发生对疟原虫的传播起重要作用。深入了解疟原虫有性阶段的基因表达及相关调控机制,有助于筛选新的抗疟药物或疫苗靶点。本文对疟原虫有性阶段基因表达转录调控的研究进展进行综述,以期为阻断疟疾传播提供参考。

Malaria is a worldwide infectious disease caused by the Plasmodium spp.Malaria transmission de⁃pends on the alternate development of malaria parasites in both vertebrate and anopheles hosts.The sexual stage,con⁃sisting of male and female gametocytes,is the only infectious stage in which Plasmodium is transmitted from their ver⁃tebrates host to Anopheles mosquitoes.The gametocyte⁃related processes,including sexual commitment,gametocytogen⁃esis,and subsequent gametogenesis,are critical for Plasmodium transmission.An in⁃depth understanding of gene ex⁃pression and regulatory mechanisms in the sexual stage of malaria parasites contributes to the identification of targets for new antimalarial drugs or vaccines.In this review,recent research focusing on transcriptional regulation in the sexual stages was reviewed to provide a comprehensive understanding of gene expression and transcriptional regulation.