학술논문
CRISPR Interference of a Clonally Variant GC-Rich Noncoding RNA Family Leads to General Repression of varGenes in Plasmodium falciparum
Document Type
Article
Author
Source
mBio; February 2020, Vol. 11 Issue: 1
Subject
Language
ISSN
21612129; 21507511
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparumis the deadliest malaria parasite species, accounting for the vast majority of disease cases and deaths. The virulence of this parasite is reliant upon the mutually exclusive expression of cytoadherence proteins encoded by the 60-member vargene family. Antigenic variation of this multigene family serves as an immune evasion mechanism, ultimately leading to chronic infection and pathogenesis. Understanding the regulation mechanism of antigenic variation is key to developing new therapeutic and control strategies. Our study uncovers a novel layer in the epigenetic regulation of transcription of this family of virulence genes by means of a multigene-targeting CRISPR interference approach.