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Category: publications

The genomes of two parasitic wasps that parasitize the diamondback moth

Donna Huber on November 21, 2019

Background Parasitic insects are well-known biological control agents for arthropod pests worldwide. They are capable of regulating their host’s physiology, development and behaviour. However, many of the molecular mechanisms involved in host-parasitoid interaction remain unknown. Results We sequenced the genomes of two parasitic wasps (Cotesia vestalis, and Diadromus collaris) that parasitize the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella using Illumina …

Chagas Disease Drug Discovery: Multiparametric Lead Optimization against Trypanosoma cruzi in Acylaminobenzothiazole Series

Donna Huber on November 18, 2019

Acylaminobenzothiazole hits were identified as potential inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi replication, a parasite responsible for Chagas disease. We selected compound 1 for lead optimization, aiming to improve in parallel its anti-T. cruzi activity (IC50 = 0.63 μM) and its human metabolic stability (human clearance = 9.57 mL/min/g). A total of 39 analogues of 1 were synthesized and tested in vitro. We established a …

Field Relevant Variation in Ambient Temperature Modifies Density-Dependent Establishment of Plasmodium falciparum Gametocytes in Mosquitoes

Donna Huber on November 15, 2019

The relationship between Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte density and infections in mosquitoes is central to understanding the rates of transmission with important implications for control. Here, we determined whether field relevant variation in environmental temperature could also modulate this relationship. Anopheles stephensi were challenged with three densities of P. falciparum gametocytes spanning a ~10-fold gradient, and housed under diurnal/daily temperature range …

Cultivation-assisted genome of Candidatus Fukatsuia symbiotica; the enigmatic ‘X-type’ symbiont of aphids

Donna Huber on November 14, 2019

Heritable symbionts are common in terrestrial arthropods and often provide beneficial services to hosts. Unlike obligate, nutritional symbionts that largely persist under strict host control within specialized host cells, heritable facultative symbionts exhibit large variation in within-host lifestyles and services rendered with many retaining the capacity to transition among roles. One enigmatic symbiont, Candidatus Fukatsuia symbiotica, frequently …

Modeling approaches to predicting persistent hotspots in SCORE studies for gaining control of schistosomiasis mansoni in Kenya and Tanzania

Donna Huber on October 17, 2019

BACKGROUND: Some villages, labeled "persistent hotspots (PHS)," fail to respond adequately in regard to prevalence and intensity of infection to mass drug administration (MDA) for schistosomiasis. Early identification of PHS, for example, before initiating or after a year or two of MDA could help guide programmatic decision-making. METHODS: In a study with multiple rounds of …

Comparison of transcriptomes of an orthotospovirus vector and non-vector thrips species

Donna Huber on October 10, 2019

Thrips transmit one of the most devastating plant viruses worldwide–tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (TSWV). Tomato spotted wilt tospovirus is a type species in the genus Orthotospovirus and family Tospoviridae. Although there are more than 7,000 thrips species, only nine thrips species are known to transmit TSWV. In this study, we investigated the molecular factors that could affect thrips ability to transmit …

Anibamine and Its Analogues: Potent Antiplasmodial Agents from Aniba citrifolia

Donna Huber on October 2, 2019

In our continuing search for novel natural products with antiplasmodial activity, an extract of Aniba citrifolia was found to have good activity, with an IC50 value less than 1.25 μg/mL. After bioassay-directed fractionation, the known indolizinium alkaloid anibamine (1) and the new indolizinium alkaloid anibamine B (2) were isolated as the major bioactive constituents, with antiplasmodial IC50 values of …

Sylvatic cycles of arboviruses in non-human primates

Donna Huber on October 2, 2019

Arboviruses infecting people primarily exist in urban transmission cycles involving urban mosquitoes in densely populated tropical regions. For dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever viruses, sylvatic (forest) transmission cycles also exist in some regions and involve non-human primates and forest-dwelling mosquitoes. Here we review the investigation methods and available data on sylvatic cycles involving non-human …

Mapping Schistosoma mansoni endemicity in Rwanda: a critical assessment of geographical disparities arising from circulating cathodic antigen versus Kato-Katz diagnostics

Donna Huber on September 30, 2019

Background Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Schistosoma parasites. Intervention relies on identifying high-risk regions, yet rapid Schistosoma diagnostics (Kato-Katz stool assays (KK) and circulating cathodic antigen urine assays (CCA)) yield different prevalence estimates. We mapped S. mansoni prevalence and delineated at-risk regions using a survey of schoolchildren in Rwanda, where Schistosoma mansoni is an endemic parasite. We asked if different diagnostics …

Metabolic dependency of chorismate in Plasmodium falciparum suggests an alternative source for the ubiquinone biosynthesis precursor

Donna Huber on September 26, 2019

The shikimate pathway, a metabolic pathway absent in humans, is responsible for the production of chorismate, a branch point metabolite. In the malaria parasite, chorismate is postulated to be a direct precursor in the synthesis of p-aminobenzoic acid (folate biosynthesis), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (ubiquinone biosynthesis), menaquinone, and aromatic amino acids. While the potential value of the …