Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive Room G312 Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Trends Genet. 2018 Feb;34(2):133-141. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.11.004. Epub 2017 Dec 14.
Severe malaria is caused by the Apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium falciparum, and results in significant global morbidity and mortality, particularly among young children and pregnant women. P. falciparum exclusively infects human erythrocytes during clinical illness, and several natural erythrocyte polymorphisms are protective against severe malaria. Since erythrocytes are enucleated and lack DNA, genetic approaches to understand erythrocyte determinants of malaria infection have historically been limited. This review highlights recent advances in the use of hematopoietic stem cells to facilitate genetic screening for malaria host factors. While challenges still exist, this approach holds promise for gaining new insights into host-pathogen interactions in malaria.
严重疟疾是由原生动物寄生虫疟原虫引起的,会导致严重的全球发病率和死亡率,尤其是在幼儿和孕妇中。在临床疾病期间,疟原虫仅感染人类红细胞,并且几种天然红细胞多态性对严重疟疾具有保护作用。由于红细胞去核且缺乏 DNA,因此遗传方法在理解疟疾感染的红细胞决定因素方面一直受到限制。这篇综述强调了最近在使用造血干细胞促进疟疾宿主因子遗传筛选方面的进展。尽管仍然存在挑战,但这种方法有望为深入了解疟疾中的宿主-病原体相互作用提供新的见解。