2019
Evidence for vesicle-mediated antigen export by the human pathogen Babesia microti
Thekkiniath J, Kilian N, Lawres L, Gewirtz MA, Graham MM, Liu X, Ledizet M, Mamoun C. Evidence for vesicle-mediated antigen export by the human pathogen Babesia microti. Life Science Alliance 2019, 2: e201900382. PMID: 31196872, PMCID: PMC6572159, DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201900382.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsApicomplexan parasitesCell fractionation studiesImmunoelectron microscopy analysisMode of secretionInvasion of erythrocytesParasite effectorsTrafficking motifsPlasma membraneExport mechanismClose relativesParasitophorous vacuoleHost erythrocyteMorphogenic changesFractionation studiesNovel mechanismHuman malariaFatal tick-borne diseaseMalaria-like illnessMouse red blood cellsParasitesAntigen exportTick-borne diseaseRed blood cellsHuman babesiosisImmunodominant antigensComparative 3D genome organization in apicomplexan parasites
Bunnik EM, Venkat A, Shao J, McGovern KE, Batugedara G, Worth D, Prudhomme J, Lapp SA, Andolina C, Ross LS, Lawres L, Brady D, Sinnis P, Nosten F, Fidock DA, Wilson EH, Tewari R, Galinski MR, Ben Mamoun C, Ay F, Le Roch KG. Comparative 3D genome organization in apicomplexan parasites. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2019, 116: 3183-3192. PMID: 30723152, PMCID: PMC6386730, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1810815116.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome organizationGene expressionApicomplexan parasitesVirulence genesSpatial genome organizationPositioning of chromosomesRelated apicomplexan parasitesVirulence gene clusterClustering of centromeresHi-C experimentsStrong repressive effectHuman malaria parasiteChromosome foldingEukaryotic cellsGene familyGene clusterGenome modelGenomeGene clusteringMore virulent pathogensNuclear spaceRepressive effectGenesAntigenic variationVirulent pathogens
2018
Establishment of a continuous in vitro culture of Babesia duncani in human erythrocytes reveals unusually high tolerance to recommended therapies
Abraham A, Brasov I, Thekkiniath J, Kilian N, Lawres L, Gao R, DeBus K, He L, Yu X, Zhu G, Graham MM, Liu X, Molestina R, Ben Mamoun C. Establishment of a continuous in vitro culture of Babesia duncani in human erythrocytes reveals unusually high tolerance to recommended therapies. Journal Of Biological Chemistry 2018, 293: 19974-19981. PMID: 30463941, PMCID: PMC6311517, DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ac118.005771.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHuman babesiosisBetter therapeutic strategiesHigher parasite burdenTick-borne diseaseFulminant infectionRed blood cellsTherapeutic strategiesHuman erythrocytesParasite burdenClinical casesSevere pathologyHuman red blood cellsNew disease modelsBlood cellsDisease modelsInfectionDiseaseBabesiosisDeathRelevant model systemParasitesApicomplexan parasitesDaughter parasitesErythrocytesFurther researchInsights into the evolution and drug susceptibility of Babesia duncani from the sequence of its mitochondrial and apicoplast genomes
Virji AZ, Thekkiniath J, Ma W, Lawres L, Knight J, Swei A, Roch KL, Mamoun C. Insights into the evolution and drug susceptibility of Babesia duncani from the sequence of its mitochondrial and apicoplast genomes. International Journal For Parasitology 2018, 49: 105-113. PMID: 30176236, PMCID: PMC6395566, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.05.008.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMitochondrial genomeApicoplast genomeB. duncaniCytochrome c oxidaseB. microtiOrganelle proteinsCircular moleculeApicomplexan parasitesPhylogenetic analysisNew lineageGene transcriptionCytochrome bGenomeC oxidaseI proteinPlasmodium sppProteinTheileria sppBabesia bovisKbParasite factorsCausative agentParasitesAnnotationSpp