In vivogene expression analyses provide unique insights onP. vivaxgametocytogenesis and chloroquine response

Abstract

13Studies of gene expression have provided insights on the regulation of Plasmodium parasites. 14 However, few studies have targeted P. vivax, the cause of one third of all human malaria cases 15 outside Africa, due to the lack of in vitro culture system and the difficulties associated with 16 studying clinical samples. Here, we describe robust RNA-seq profiles of P. vivax parasites 17 generated directly from infected patient blood. Gene expression deconvolution analysis reveals 18 that most parasite mRNAs derive from trophozoites and that the asynchronicity of P. vivax 19 infections is unlikely to confound gene expression studies. We also show that gametocyte genes 20 form two clusters of co-regulated genes, possibly indicating the independent regulation of male 21 and female gametocytogeneses. Finally, despite a large effect on parasitemia, we find that 22 the drug on P. falciparum. Overall, our study exemplifies the biological insights that can be gained 35 from applying modern genomic tools to study this difficult human pathogen. 36 37