TY - JOUR
T1 - Malaria
T2 - Could its unusual epigenome be the weak spot?
AU - Salcedo-Amaya, Adriana M.
AU - Hoeijmakers, Wieteke A.M.
AU - Bártfai, Richard
AU - Stunnenberg, Hendrik G.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank support from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research ( NWO-CW-TOP 700.53.311, NWO-Genomics 050-10-053, NWO-Toptalent 021.001.011 ) and the European Commission ( BioMalPar LSHP-CT-2004-503578 ).
PY - 2010/6
Y1 - 2010/6
N2 - The epigenetic contribution to the regulation and maintenance of gene expression patterns by histone modifications is well established in eukaryotes. In Plasmodium falciparum, the mechanisms and factors regulating gene expression during progression through its infected red blood cell cycle (iRBC) and underlying mutually exclusive expression of antigenic variation genes involved in immune evasion are far from understood. Recently, the first comprehensive analyses of the P. falciparum chromatin landscape at different iRBC stages have been performed. These studies uncovered the existence of well-defined heterochromatic regions within a generally euchromatic epigenome. Notably, silencing of genes encoding for virulence determinants such as var genes, appears to be orchestrated by the concerted action of the Sir2 and HP1 orthologs and the presence of the histone mark, H3K9me3. Epigenetic speciation could make the parasite exquisitely vulnerable to epigenetic drug treatment, unless this deadly parasite still has a number of tricks up his sleeves.
AB - The epigenetic contribution to the regulation and maintenance of gene expression patterns by histone modifications is well established in eukaryotes. In Plasmodium falciparum, the mechanisms and factors regulating gene expression during progression through its infected red blood cell cycle (iRBC) and underlying mutually exclusive expression of antigenic variation genes involved in immune evasion are far from understood. Recently, the first comprehensive analyses of the P. falciparum chromatin landscape at different iRBC stages have been performed. These studies uncovered the existence of well-defined heterochromatic regions within a generally euchromatic epigenome. Notably, silencing of genes encoding for virulence determinants such as var genes, appears to be orchestrated by the concerted action of the Sir2 and HP1 orthologs and the presence of the histone mark, H3K9me3. Epigenetic speciation could make the parasite exquisitely vulnerable to epigenetic drug treatment, unless this deadly parasite still has a number of tricks up his sleeves.
KW - Chromatin
KW - Gene regulation
KW - Histone modifications
KW - Malaria
KW - Plasmodium
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77953812681&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biocel.2010.03.010
DO - 10.1016/j.biocel.2010.03.010
M3 - Short survey
C2 - 20303414
AN - SCOPUS:77953812681
SN - 1357-2725
VL - 42
SP - 781
EP - 784
JO - International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
JF - International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
IS - 6
ER -