Transcriptome and histone epigenome of Plasmodium vivax salivary-gland sporozoites point to tight regulatory control and potential mechanisms for liver-stage differentiation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Plasmodium vivax is the key obstacle to malaria elimination in Asia and Latin America, largely attributed to its ability to form resilient hypnozoites (sleeper-cells) in the host liver that escape treatment and cause relapsing infections. The decision to form hypnozoites is made early in the liver infection and may already be set in sporozoites prior to invasion. To better understand these early stages of infection, we undertook a comprehensive transcriptomic and histone epigenetic characterization of P. vivax sporozoites. The salivary-gland sporozoite transcriptome is heavily composed of transcripts associated with functions needed for early infection of the vertebrate host and dev..