Analysis of point mutations and copy number variation in Grade II and III meningioma

Drug-resistant Plasmodium vivax malaria impedes efforts to control, eliminate, and ultimately eradicate malaria in Southeast Asia. P. vivax resistance to antifolate drugs derives from point mutations in specific parasite genes, including the dihydropteroate synthase (pvdhps), dihydrofolate reductase (pvdhfr), and GTP cyclohydrolase I (pvgch1) genes. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and spread of drug resistance markers in P. vivax populating the China-Myanmar border. Blood samples were collected from symptomatic patients with acute P. vivax infection. Samples with single-clone P. vivax infections were sequenced for pvdhps and pvdhfr genes and genotyped for 6 flanking microsatellite markers. Copy number variation in the pvgch1 gene was also examined. Polymorphisms were observed in six different codons of the pvdhps gene (382, 383, 512, 549, 553, and 571) and six different codons of the pvdhfr gene (13, 57, 58, 61, 99, 117) in two study sites. The quadruple mutant haplotypes 57I/L/58R/61M/117T of pvdhfr gene were the most common (comprising 76% of cases in Myitsone and 43.7% of case in Laiza). The double mutant haplotype 383G/553G of pvdhps gene was also prevalent at each site (40.8% and 31%). Microsatellites flanking the pvdhfr gene differentiated clinical samples from wild type and quadruple mutant genotypes (FST= 0.259-0.3036), as would be expected for a locus undergoing positive selection. The lack of copy number variation of pvgch1 suggests that SP-resistant P. vivax may harbor alternative mechanisms to secure sufficient folate.

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Atypical molecular basis for drug resistance to mitochondrial function inhibitors in Plasmodium falciparum

10.1101/2020.10.08.330241 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Heather J. Painter ◽

Joanne M. Morrisey ◽

Michael W. Mather ◽

Lindsey M. Orchard ◽

Cuyler Luck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Resistance ◽

Plasmodium Falciparum ◽

Copy Number Variation ◽

Copy Number ◽

De Novo ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Point Mutations ◽

Parasite Line ◽

Pyrimidine Synthesis ◽

Number Variation

AbstractThe continued emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites hinders global attempts to eradicate malaria, emphasizing the need to identify new antimalarial drugs. Attractive targets for chemotherapeutic intervention are the cytochrome (cyt) bc1 complex, which is an essential component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (mtETC) necessary for ubiquinone recycling and mitochondrially localized dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) critical for de novo pyrimidine synthesis. Despite the essentiality of this complex, resistance to a novel acridone class of compounds targeting cyt bc1 was readily attained, resulting in a parasite strain (SB1-A6) that was pan-resistant to both mtETC and DHODH inhibitors. Here we describe the molecular mechanism behind the resistance of the SB1-A6 parasite line which lacks the common cyt bc1 point mutations characteristic of resistance to mtETC inhibitors. Using Illumina whole-genome sequencing, we have identified both a copy number variation (∼2x) and a single-nucleotide polymorphism (C276F) associated with pfdhodh in SB1-A6. We have characterized the role of both genetic lesions by mimicking the copy number variation via episomal expression of pfdhodh and introducing the identified SNP using CRISPR/Cas9 and assessed their contributions to drug resistance. Although both of these genetic polymorphisms have been previously identified as contributing to both DSM-1 (1) and atovaquone resistance (2, 3), SB1-A6 represents a unique genotype in which both alterations are present in a single line, suggesting that the combination contributes to the pan-resistant phenotype. This novel mechanism of resistance to mtETC inhibition has critical implications for the development of future drugs targeting the bc1 complex or de novo pyrimidine synthesis that could help guide future anti-malarial combination therapies and reduce the rapid development of drug resistance in the field.

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