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Category: publications

New T2T assembly of Cryptosporidium parvum IOWA II annotated with Legacy-Compatible Gene identifiers

Donna Huber on June 19, 2025

Cryptosporidium parvum is a significant pathogen causing gastrointestinal infections in humans and animals. It is spread through ingesting contaminated food and water. Despite its global health significance, generating a C. parvum genome sequence has been challenging for many reasons including cloning and challenging subtelomeric regions. A new, gapless, hybrid, telomere-to-telomere genome assembly was created for …

Highly cross-reactive and competent effectors dominate the CD8+ T cell response in Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Donna Huber on June 16, 2025

CD8+ T cells are key effectors in immune control of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Within C57BL/6 mice, the T. cruzi-specific CD8+ T cell response is largely comprised of T cells recognizing trans-sialidase (TS)- and mucin-encoded epitopes. Despite their immunodominance, these epitope-specific CD8+ T cells are entirely dispensable for immune control. In a screen for epitopes inducing …

From Target Product Profiles (TPPs) to Target Specimen Profiles (TSPs): A New Concept in Infectious Disease Biobanking for Diagnostic Applications

Donna Huber on June 13, 2025

A target specimen profile (TSP) corresponds to the required characteristics of the specimen panels needed to demonstrate that a diagnostic kit meets the target product profile (TPP). TSPs can guide biobanks in the prospective collection of sample panels to support the development and validation of diagnostics. Fay Betsou, Warren Fransman, Patrick Lammie. Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 …

Protocol for laboratory rearing and infection tracking of Rhodnius prolixus using 3D-printable designs

Donna Huber on June 13, 2025

Human infections by Trypanosoma cruzi propagate via its blood-feeding triatomine vector. Investigating parasite-vector interactions depends upon robust techniques to rear insects and analyze infections. Here, we present a protocol for laboratory rearing and infection tracking of Rhodnius prolixus. We describe steps for housing, feeding, and sorting strategies using 3D-printable designs. We also detail procedures for …

The importance of persistence and dormancy in Trypanosoma cruzi infection and Chagas disease

Donna Huber on June 5, 2025

Trypanosoma cruzi typically establishes a life-long infection in its mammalian hosts, causing the destruction of muscle tissues and ultimately resulting in potentially fatal Chagas disease. In this review, we consider the array of avoidance mechanisms that allow for T. cruzi persistence, many of which are unconventional among protozoan pathogens but which collectively are highly effective …

Chemical and Genetic Validation of an Essential Calcium Entry Channel of Trypanosoma brucei as a Therapeutic Target

Donna Huber on June 3, 2025

The Trypanosoma brucei group of parasites causes Nagana in cattle and human African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, in humans. Current drugs against these parasites have severe toxicity, vaccines are not available, and development of drug resistance makes finding new chemotherapeutic targets imperative. Ion channels, which are involved in several biological processes, are targets of many therapeutically useful …

HaloPROTAC3 does not trigger the degradation of the halotagged parasitophorous vacuole membrane protein UIS4 during Plasmodium liver stage development

Donna Huber on May 26, 2025

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is a novel strategy for developing therapeutics against pathogens. Prior to causing malaria, Plasmodium parasites replicate within hepatocytes as liver stages, surrounded by a parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). We hypothesized that TPD can be employed to trigger host-driven degradation of essential liver stage PVM proteins and lead to parasite death. To …

Protocol for detecting peptide hormones in mosquito tissues

Donna Huber on May 24, 2025

Peptide hormones in insects are primarily expressed in specialized brain, ventral nerve chord, and midgut cells. When released, peptide hormones play crucial roles in regulating physiology, reproduction, and behavior. Here, we present a protocol for detecting peptide hormones in mosquito tissues such as the brain, midgut, and hemolymph. We describe steps for tissue preparation, immunocytochemistry, …

A symbiotic gene stimulates aggressive behavior favoring the survival of parasitized caterpillars

Donna Huber on April 28, 2025

Animals often exhibit increased aggression in response to starvation, while parasites often manipulate host behavior. In contrast, underlying molecular mechanisms for these behavioral changes are mostly unknown. The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is an agricultural pest that feeds on cruciferous plants as larvae, while Cotesia vestalis is a parasitoid wasp that parasitizes diamondback moth larvae. …

Regulatory T cell memory: implications for malaria

Donna Huber on April 23, 2025

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) can persist as memory cells (mTregs) in both infectious and non-infectious settings. However, their functional behavior, phenotypic stability, and suppressive properties upon antigen re-exposure remain poorly understood. Emerging evidence suggests that mTregs exhibit enhanced proliferation and suppressive capacity upon re-encountering the same antigen, a feature that may be critical in recurrent …