Principal Supervisor: Dr Virginia Marugan-Hernandez (Lecturer in Molecular Parasitology, The Royal Veterinary College)
Co-Supervisor: Johannes Dessens (Professor of Parasite Cell Biology, Infection Biology, Infectious and Tropical Diseases, LSHTM)
Project Description
Background and Rationale:
Apicomplexan parasites like Plasmodium (which causes malaria) and Eimeria (which causes coccidiosis in farm animals) possess unique organelles: the ‘refractile body’ (RB) in Eimeria and the ‘crystalloid’ in Plasmodium, both of which have poorly understood functions. Recent research suggests that these organelles may be functionally related, particularly after finding Eimeria proteins homologous to those in Plasmodium crystalloids localizing in the RB. This study aims to explore the similarities between these organelles in greater detail.
Aims and Objectives:
The project focuses on understanding further the similarities between Eimeria RBs and Plasmodium crystalloid organelles, specifically their proteomes.
- Objective 1: Identify the Eimeria RB proteome using proximity-dependent biotin labelling (BioID). The study will use known RB proteins (SO7, NTH, LAP1) tagged with biotin ligase to capture nearby proteins. These proteins will then be analysed using mass spectrometry.
- Objective 2: Validate potential RB proteins identified through BioID by using fluorescent protein tagging in transgenic parasites. This will confirm the localization of these proteins in the RB and help compare the Eimeria RB with the Plasmodium crystalloid proteome.
Significance:
The findings will provide insights into the roles of the Eimeria RB and Plasmodium crystalloid organelles, revealing shared functional mechanisms that could serve as targets for novel interventions against malaria and coccidiosis.
Subject Areas/Keywords:
Molecular parasitology Cell biology, Apicomplexa, Eimeria, Plasmodium, Organelle function, Crystalloid, Refractile body, Cell division, Transgenics, Fluorescent Microscopy
Key References
1. Burrell, A. et al. (2023) Refractile bodies of Eimeria tenella are proteinaceous membrane-less organelles that undergo dynamic changes during infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 13, 1082622. 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1082622
2. Dessens, J.T. et al. (2021) Crystalloids: Fascinating parasite organelles essential for malaria transmission. Trends Parasitol 37, 581-584. 10.1016/j.pt.2021.04.002
3. Saeed, S. et al. (2020) NAD(P) transhydrogenase has vital non-mitochondrial functions in malaria parasite transmission. EMBO Reports, e478320. 10.15252/embr.201947832
4. Tremp, A.Z. et al. (2020) Plasmodium berghei LAPs form an extended protein complex that facilitates crystalloid targeting and biogenesis. J Proteomics 227, 103925. 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103925
Further details about the project may be obtained from:
Further details about the project may be obtained from: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/phd#tab-available-studentships
Principal Supervisor: Virginia Marugan-Hernandez – vhernandez@rvc.ac.uk
Co-Supervisor: Johannes Dessens – johannes.dessens@lshtm.ac.uk
Further information about PhDs at The Royal Veterinary College is available from:
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/phd
Application forms and details about how to apply are available from:
PhD Studentships – Postgraduate – Study – Royal Veterinary College, RVC
Closing date for applications is:
Wednesday 12th February 2025 at 23:59 (GMT)
The Bloomsbury Colleges 