Research progress on stable gene transfection methods of Plasmodium falciparum / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Transfection of Plasmodium falciparum is helpful to study the function of its genes, such as drug resistance. However, transgenic manipulation has been very challenging, mainly due to the high A/T base sequence structure (A+T content of about 82%) and low transfection efficiency of the Plasmodium genome. Electroporation-based transfection of Plasmodium falciparum has been successfully applied in the study of certain genes, and electroporation by preloading is currently the preferred method for introducing foreign DNA into Plasmodium falciparum. The site-directed editing of Plasmodium genes mostly adopts the method of two-plasmid transfection. It is generally believed that successful transfection of Plasmodium requires a large amount of high-purity plasmid DNA and an accurate transfection system. In addition to the evaluation of the current commonly used electrotransfection methods, this paper also introduces a new transfection method, namely lyse-reseal erythrocytes for transfection (LyRET). This paper also review the role of factors such as plasmid DNA concentration, the use of transfection reagents, the setting of transfection parameters, the addition of fresh red blood cells, and the markers of successful transfection in improving the success rate and efficiency of Plasmodium transfection, in the hope of providing a reference for study in this field.

Research progress on artemisinin antimalarial resistance of Plasmodium falciparum / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Malaria, an infectious disease caused by Plasmodium infection, is one of the most important public health problems worldwide. Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are recommended by WHO as the first-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in malaria-endemic areas. The application of artemisinin and its derivatives has played an integral role in reducing the global incidence of malaria. However, in recent years, the emergence and spread of artemisinin resistance has brought great challenges to global malaria control and elimination. At present, the mutation of K13 gene on chromosome 13 of Plasmodium falciparum is most closely related to artemisinin resistance, but in recent years, studies have shown that K13 cannot explain all artemisinin resistance. This article reviews the recent research progress in the field of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, including definition of artemisinin resistance, detection methods and molecular markers related to resistance. In addition, some of the issues discussed in this review remain controversial and require further study.