Assembling a single-cell atlas of Plasmodium falciparum transmission through the mosquito

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Talk abstract:

Malaria parasite transmission to and from the mosquito vector is accompanied by a precipitous drop in parasite numbers and is thus considered an attractive target for antimalarial or vaccine interventions. Seeking to establish a high-resolution transcriptional atlas of human malaria transmission, we profiled single-cell transcriptomes from across the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle. This new data set, which is part of the Malaria Cell Atlas initiative, maps the developmental trajectory of the parasite from the mosquito midgut to the salivary glands and beyond, tracing host-induced shifts in gene expression. In addition to establishing the most complete atlas of the P. falciparum transcriptional journey to date, our analysis of the data set reveals how patterns of gene expression have diverged between human and rodent parasites, provides new clues into gene function across the transmission cycle, and highlights multistage strategies that could be explored to stop malaria transmission.