Malaria Full-Length cDNA Project (P.falciparum)
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Last Updated (August 15, 2006)

About this Database
Malaria Full-Length cDNA project

Junichi Watanabe1, Hiroyuki Wakaguri2, Masahide Sasaki2, Yutaka Suzuki2, Sumio Sugano2
(1Department of Parasitolog, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo 2Department of Medical Genome Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo)

FULL-malaria has started as a database for a full-length cDNAs from human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Now it contains full-length cDNAs from human malaria parasite, P. vivax and murine malaria parasites, P. yoelii and P. berghei.
Full-length cDNA libraries were produced from the intraerythrocytic stage parasites using the oligo-capping method and 5'-end-one-pass sequences of random clones were determined. These and EST sequences obtained from the database were mapped onto the genome sequences along with annotated gene structures.
The protein sequences of the annotated genes of P. falciparum were used as queries to search homologous regions of the genome sequences of the other malaria parasites using TBLASTX program. Based on these homologies, the contig sequences of P. vivax, P. yoelii and P. berghei were aligned with the genome sequences of P. falciparum and displayed in the graphical genome viewer.

Vivax malaria Full-length cDNA project

    Josef Tuda1 and Mihoko Imada2
    (1Department of Parasitology, Sam Ratulangi University, 2Department of Parasitology, Keio University)
    Among four species of human malaria parasites, Plasmodium vivax is the second most important next to P. falciparum. Though it seldom causes deaths in patients, its prevalence in subtropical areas is a big burden on people's life which causes anemia and recurrent fever. Inability to grow parasites in vitro hampers its study. A grant from JICA has provided opportunity to establish international collaboration. We produced a full-length cDNA library from the blood taken from Indonesian patients who were diagnosed as vivax malaria and gave informed consent.

Murine malaria full-length cDNA project

    Akiko Shibui1 and Sadao Nogami2
    (1Research Institute for Biological Science, Tokyo University of Science, 2 Department of Medical Zoology, School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University)
    Murine malaria is a good model to study host-parasite relationship, including immunological response and comparative biology. Among four species of murine malaria parasite, Plasmodium yoelii and P. berghei are best studied in terms of molecular biology.
    We have made full-length cDNA libraries from P. yoelii 17XL (XPYw) and 17XNL (XPYs).
    We have developed a method to screen DNA vaccine candidates using full-length cDNA libraries and are screening cDNA clones that were produced from the intraerythrocytic parasites of P. berghei ANKA.
  1. Background
  2. Construction of Malaria Full-Length cDNA Library
  3. Current Status
  4. Experimental Procedures
We welcome your comments and feedback about our database.
Please feel free to contact us...... jwatanab@ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp