Research Projects

India has experienced a surge in floods, increasing the risk of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria. In eastern states like Odisha and Kolkata, severe malaria and artemisinin resistant P. falciparum have been reported. To combat this, it is crucial to design strategies to block malaria transmission from humans to mosquitoes. Gametocytes are the critical link for transmission, and understanding their development in humans can help identify new targets for drug development. Gametocytes progress through distinct transcriptional and translational patterns, suggesting parasites use a 'just in time' strategy for gene expression to transform from one stage to another. Transcription factors (TFs) play a crucial role in this tight and coordinated gene expression. Apetala 2 (AP2), a major TF family of Plasmodium, is important for commitment of asexual stage parasites to gametocytes. However, it is unclear whether AP2s are involved in the stage conversion of gametocytes from I to V. The proposal aims to decipher which AP2s are expressed at various stages of gametocytes and their role in gametocyte development. If identified, they may control the expression of genes responsible for the final conversion of one stage to another. The study will also investigate the role of downstream targets of AP2 in gametocyte development, as AP2 can act both as a repressor and an activator. By knocking out target genes in parasites and analyzing their effect on gametocyte formation, the proposal aims to decode the tight regulation critical for gametocyte development and potentially identify conserved functions for drug development to block malaria transmission.