scholarly journals Molecular surveillance of drug resistance: Plasmodium falciparum artemisinin resistance single nucleotide polymorphisms in Kelch protein propeller (K13) domain from Southern Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Najia Karim Ghanchi ◽  
Bushra Qurashi ◽  
Hadiqa Raees ◽  
Mohammad Asim Beg

Abstract Background K13 propeller (k13) polymorphism are useful molecular markers for tracking the emergence and spread of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum. Polymorphisms are reported from Cambodia with rapid invasion of the population and almost near fixation in south East Asia. The study describes single nucleotide polymorphisms in Kelch protein propeller domain of P. falciparum associated with artemisinin resistance from Southern Pakistan. Methods Two hundred and forty-nine samples were collected from patients with microscopy confirmed P. falciparum malaria attending Aga Khan University Hospital during September 2015-April 2018. DNA was isolated using the whole blood protocol for the QIAmp DNA Blood Kit. The k13 propeller gene (k13) was amplified using nested PCR. Double-strand sequencing of PCR products was performed using Sanger sequencing methodology. Sequences were analysed with MEGA 6 and Bio edit software to identify specific SNP combinations. Results All isolates analysed for k13 propeller allele were observed as wild-type in samples collected post implementation of ACT in Pakistan. C580Y, A675V, Y493H and R539T variants associated with reduced susceptibility to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) were not found. Low frequency of M476I and C469Y polymorphisms was found, which is significantly associated with artemisinin resistance. Conclusion Low frequencies of both nonsynonymous and synonymous polymorphisms were observed in P. falciparum isolates circulating in Southern Pakistan. The absence of known molecular markers of artemisinin resistance in this region is favourable for anti-malarial efficacy of ACT. Surveillance of anti-malarial drug resistance to detect its emergence and spread need to be strengthened in Pakistan.

Author(s):  
Tine Kliim Nydahl ◽  
Samuel Yao Ahorhorlu ◽  
Magatte Ndiaye ◽  
Manoj Kumar Das ◽  
Helle Hansson ◽  
...  

The emergence of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites in Southeast Asia threatens malaria control and elimination. The interconnectedness of parasite populations may be essential to monitor the spread of resistance. Combining a published barcoding system of geographically restricted single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), mainly mitochondria of P. falciparum with SNPs in the K13 artemisinin resistance marker, could elucidate the parasite population structure and provide insight regarding the spread of drug resistance. We explored the diversity of mitochondrial SNPs (bp position 611-2825) and identified K13 SNPs from malaria patients in the districts of India (Ranchi), Tanzania (Korogwe), and Senegal (Podor, Richard Toll, Kaolack, and Ndoffane). DNA was amplified using a nested PCR and Sanger-sequenced. Overall, 199 K13 sequences (India: N = 92; Tanzania: N = 48; Senegal: N = 59) and 237 mitochondrial sequences (India: N = 93; Tanzania: N = 48; Senegal: N = 96) were generated. SNPs were identified by comparisons with reference genomes. We detected previously reported geographically restricted mitochondrial SNPs (T2175C and G1367A) as markers for parasites originating from the Indian subcontinent and several geographically unrestricted mitochondrial SNPs. Combining haplotypes with published P. falciparum mitochondrial genome data suggested possible regional differences within India. All three countries had G1692A, but Tanzanian and Senegalese SNPs were well-differentiated. Some mitochondrial SNPs are reported here for the first time. Four nonsynonymous K13 SNPs were detected: K189T (India, Tanzania, Senegal); A175T (Tanzania); and A174V and R255K (Senegal). This study supports the use of mitochondrial SNPs to determine the origin of the parasite and suggests that the P. falciparum populations studied were susceptible to artemisinin during sampling because all K13 SNPs observed were outside the propeller domain for artemisinin resistance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijia Cheng ◽  
Kai Wu ◽  
Xiaonan Song ◽  
Wang Wei ◽  
Weixing Du ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundMolecular markers for monitoring resistance could help improve malaria treatment policies. Delayed clearance of Plasmodium falciparum by Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) has been reported in several countries. In addition to the PfKelch13 (pfk13), new drug resistance genes, the ubiquitin-specific protease 1 (pfubp1) and the eadaptor protein complex 2 mu subunit (pfap2mu) have been identified as being linked to ACTs. This study investigated the prevalence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in clinical P. falciparum isolates pfubp1 and pfap2mu imported from Africa and Southeast Asia (SEA) to Wuhan, China, to provide baseline data for antimalarial resistance monitoring in this region.MethodsPeripheral Blood samples were collected in Wuhan, China, from August 2011 to December 2019. The SNPs of Pfubp1 and pfap2mu of P. falciparum were determined by nested PCR and Sanger sequencing. ResultsIn total, 296 samples were collected. Subsequently, 92.23% (273/296) were successfully amplified and sequenced for the Pfubp1. There were 60.07% (164/273) wild strains and 39.93% (109/273) mutant strains. For the pfap2mu gene, it was divided into three fragments for amplification, 82.77% (245/296), 90.20% (267/296) and 94.59% (280/296) were sequenced successfully respectively. Genotypes reportedly associated with ACTs resistance detected in this study included pfubp1 D1525E as well as E1528D and pfap2mu S160N. The mutation prevalence rates were 10.99% (30/273), 13.19% (36/273) and 11.24% (30/267), respectively. These are all focused on Congo, Nigeria and Angola. And known delayed-clearance parasite mutation has also been found in SEA.ConclusionsThe existence of mutation sites of known clearance genes detected in the isolates in this study, including D1525E and E1528D in the pfubp1 gene, and S160N in the pfap2mu gene, further proved the risk of ACTs resistance. Constant vigilance is therefore needed to protect the effectiveness of ACTs, and to prevent the spread of drug-resistant P. falciparum. Further studies in malaria-endemic countries are needed to further validate potential genetic markers for monitoring parasite populations in Africa and SEA.


Author(s):  
Jun Feng ◽  
Dongmei Xu ◽  
Xiangli Kong ◽  
Kangming Lin ◽  
He Yan ◽  
...  

The artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) used to treat Plasmodium falciparum in Africa are threatened by the emergence of parasites in Asia carrying variants of the Kelch 13 (K13) locus with delayed clearance in response to ACTs. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in other molecular markers, such as ap2mu and ubp1, were associated with artemisinin resistance in rodent malaria and clinical failure in African malaria patients. Here, we characterized the polymorphisms in pfmdr1, pfcrt, pfK13, pfubp1 and pfap2mu among African isolates reported in Shandong and Guangxi provinces in China. Among 144 patients with P. falciparum returning from Africa in 2014–2018, pfmdr1 N86Y (8.3%) and pfcrt K76T (2.1%) were the major mutant alleles. The most common genotype for pfcrt was I74E75T76 (8.3%), followed by E75T76 (2.1%). For K13 polymorphisms, a limited number of mutated alleles were observed, and A578S was the most frequently detected allele in 3 isolates (2.1%). A total of 27.1% (20/144) of the isolates were found to contain pfubp1 mutations, including 6 nonsynonymous and 2 synonymous mutations. The pfubp1 genotypes associated with ART resistance were D1525E (10.4%) and E1528D (8.3%). Furthermore, 11 SNPs were identified in pfap2mu, and S160N was the major polymorphism (4.2%). Additionally, 4 different types of insertions were found in pfap2mu, and the codon AAT, encoding aspartic acid, was more frequently observed at codons 226 (18.8%) and 326 (10.7%). Moreover, 4 different types of insertions were observed in pfubp1 at codon 1520, which was the most common (6.3%). These findings indicate a certain degree of variation in other potential molecular markers, such as pfubp1 and pfap2mu, and their roles either in the parasite’s mechanism of resistance or the mode of action should be evaluated or elucidated further.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijia Cheng ◽  
Kai Wu ◽  
Xiaonan Song ◽  
Wang Wei ◽  
Weixing Du ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundMolecular markers for monitoring resistance could help improve malaria treatment policies. Delayed clearance of Plasmodium falciparum by Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) has been reported in several countries. In addition to the PfKelch13 (pfk13), new drug resistance genes, the ubiquitin-specific protease 1 (pfubp1) and the eadaptor protein complex 2 mu subunit (pfap2mu) have been identified as being linked to ACTs. This study investigated the prevalence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in clinical Plasmodium falciparum isolates pfubp1 and pfap2mu imported from Africa and Southeast Asia (SEA) to Wuhan, China, to provide baseline data for antimalarial resistance monitoring in this region.MethodsPeripheral Blood samples were collected in Wuhan, China, from August 2011 to December 2019. The SNPs of Pfubp1 and pfap2mu of P. falciparum were determined by nested PCR and Sanger sequencing. ResultsIn total, 296 samples were collected. Subsequently, 92.23% (273/296) were successfully amplified and sequenced for the Pfubp1. There were 60.07% (164/273) wild strains and 39.93% (109/273) mutant strains. For the pfap2mu gene, it was divided into three fragments for amplification, 82.77% (245/296), 90.20% (267/296) and 94.59% (280/296) were sequenced successfully respectively. Genotypes reportedly associated with ACTs resistance detected in this study included pfubp1 D1525E as well as E1528D and pfap2mu S160N. The mutation prevalence rates were 10.99% (30/273), 13.19% (36/273) and 11.24% (30/267), respectively. ConclusionsThe existence of mutation sites of known clearance genes detected in the isolates in this study, including D1525E and E1528D in the pfubp1 gene, and S160N in the pfap2mu gene, further proved the risk of ACTs resistance. Constant vigilance is therefore needed to protect the effectiveness of ACTs, and to prevent the spread of drug-resistant P. falciparum. Further studies in malaria-endemic countries are needed to further validate potential genetic markers for monitoring parasite populations in Africa and SEA.


Author(s):  
Oriana Kreutzfeld ◽  
Stephanie A. Rasmussen ◽  
Aarti A. Ramanathan ◽  
Patrick K. Tumwebaze ◽  
Oswald Byaruhanga ◽  
...  

Among novel compounds under recent investigation as potential new antimalarial drugs are three independently developed inhibitors of the Plasmodium falciparum P-type ATPase (PfATP4): KAE609 (cipargamin), PA92, and SJ733. We assessed ex vivo susceptibilities to these compounds of 374 fresh P. falciparum isolates collected in Tororo and Busia districts, Uganda from 2016-2019. Median IC 50 s were 65 nM for SJ733, 9.1 nM for PA92, and 0.5 nM for KAE609. Sequencing of pfatp4 for 218 of these isolates demonstrated many non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms; the most frequent mutations were G1128R (69% of isolates mixed or mutant), Q1081K/R (68%), G223S (25%), N1045K (16%) and D1116G/N/Y (16%). The G223S mutation was associated with decreased susceptibility to SJ733, PA92 and KAE609. The D1116G/N/Y mutations were associated with decreased susceptibility to SJ733, and the presence of mutations at both codons 223 and 1116 was associated with decreased susceptibility to PA92 and SJ733. In all of these cases, absolute differences in susceptibilities of wild type (WT) and mutant parasites were modest. Analysis of clones separated from mixed field isolates consistently identified mutant clones as less susceptible than WT. Analysis of isolates from other sites demonstrated presence of the G223S and D1116G/N/Y mutations across Uganda. Our results indicate that malaria parasites circulating in Uganda have a number of polymorphisms in PfATP4 and that modestly decreased susceptibility to PfATP4 inhibitors is associated with some mutations now present in Ugandan parasites.


2016 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Havey ◽  
Yul-Kyun Ahn

Garlic (Allium sativum) is cultivated worldwide and appreciated for its culinary uses. In spite of primarily being asexually propagated, garlic shows great morphological variation and adaptability to diverse production environments. Molecular markers and phenotypic characteristics have been used to assess the genetic diversity among garlics. In this study, we undertook transcriptome sequencing from a single garlic plant to identify molecular markers in expressed regions of the garlic genome. Garlic sequences were assembled and selected if they were similar to monomorphic sequences from a doubled haploid (DH) of onion (Allium cepa). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion–deletion (indel) events were identified in 4355 independent garlic assemblies. A sample of the indels was verified using the original complementary DNA (cDNA) library and genomics DNAs from diverse garlics, and segregations confirmed by sexual progenies of garlic. These molecular markers from the garlic transcriptome should be useful for estimates of genetic diversity, identification and removal of duplicate accessions from germplasm collections, and the development of a detailed genetic map of this important vegetable crop.


2014 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 111-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Tatiana Jovel ◽  
Pedro Eduardo Ferreira ◽  
Maria Isabel Veiga ◽  
Maja Malmberg ◽  
Andreas Mårtensson ◽  
...  

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