Alternative splicing is required for stage differentiation in malaria parasites

LM Yeoh; CD Goodman; V Mollard; E McHugh; VV Lee; A Sturm; A Cozijnsen; GI McFadden; SA Ralph

Journal article

Alternative splicing is required for stage differentiation in malaria parasites

LM Yeoh, CD Goodman, V Mollard, E McHugh, VV Lee, A Sturm, A Cozijnsen, GI McFadden, SA Ralph

Genome Biology | BMC | Published : 2019

DOI: 10.1186/s13059-019-1756-6

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Abstract

Background: In multicellular organisms, alternative splicing is central to tissue differentiation and identity. Unicellular protists lack multicellular tissue but differentiate into variable cell types during their life cycles. The role of alternative splicing in transitions between cell types and establishing cellular identity is currently unknown in any unicellular organism. Results: To test whether alternative splicing in unicellular protists plays a role in cellular differentiation, we conduct RNA-seq to compare splicing in female and male sexual stages to asexual intraerythrocytic stages in the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. We find extensive changes in alternative splicing..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Lee Yeoh Author

Christopher Dean Goodman Author

Emma McHugh Author

Anton Cozijnsen Author

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Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

LMY was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award. GIM gratefully acknowledges a program grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), a Discovery Project from the Australian Research Council, and an Australian Laureate Fellowship from the Australian Research Council. SAR is supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council grant (628704), an Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant (DP160100389), and an NHMRC RD Wright Biomedical fellowship (APP1062504). The funding bodies had no role in the design of the study, nor the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, nor the writing of the manuscript.