Awa Deme

Fellowship Site: University Of Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal

US Institution: Yale University

The ultimate goal of this proposal is to conduct an in-depth study of the virulent rifin gene expression on erythrocyte remodeling and rosetting, and assess the role of genetic diversity of the rifin genes in this process. The first hypothesis to be tested is whether rosette formation correlates with a specific rifin gene expression profile. Ex vivo RNA and short-term parasite cultures will be initiated and RNA will be harvested in the first generation at the late trophozoite to mid-schizont stage. The rosetting assay will be performed, and assessed by fluorescent microscopy. cDNA will be synthesized from extracted RNA, and rifin expression measured using a set of 15 primers previously described. The study will be conducted in Senegal, during the transmission season in Thies region, and comparisons will be made during the dry season as well. The results will have implications on our understanding of immunity and vaccines development strategies in malaria elimination strategies.