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Malaria research in the post-genomic era

Nature volume 455, pages 751–756 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

For many pathogens the availability of genome sequence, permitting genome-dependent methods of research, can partially substitute for powerful forward genetic methods (genome-independent) that have advanced model organism research for decades. In 2002 the genome sequence of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite causing the most severe type of human malaria, was completed, eliminating many of the barriers to performing state-of-the-art molecular biological research on malaria parasites. Although new, licensed therapies may not yet have resulted from genome-dependent experiments, they have produced a wealth of new observations about the basic biology of malaria parasites, and it is likely that these will eventually lead to new therapeutic approaches. This review will focus on the basic research discoveries that have depended, in part, on the availability of the Plasmodium genome sequences.

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Figure 1: Diagram of the malaria parasite’s life cycle.
Figure 2: Export pathways shared by eukaryotic pathogens.

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Acknowledgements

E. A.W. is grateful for support from the Keck Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, Novartis and NIH RO1 AI059742.

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  1. California and The Department of Cell Biology, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA,

    Elizabeth Ann Winzeler

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Correspondence to Elizabeth Ann Winzeler.

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E. A.W. receives support from Novartis, a manufacturer of artemisinin-based drugs.

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Winzeler, E. Malaria research in the post-genomic era. Nature 455, 751–756 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07361

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