Just-in-time expression of influential genes in the cellular networks of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum during the red blood cycle

Abstract

Malaria remains one of the most important public health concerns worldwide. It causes nearly half a million deaths every year, and about 40% of the world's population lives in the endemic regions of malaria. A major hurdle in antimalarial development is our limited understanding of the dynamic cellular networks in the malaria parasite. In this study, by coupling RNA-Seq analysis and network mining using a PageRank-based algorithm, we investigated the temporal-specific expression of parasite genes during the 48-hour red blood cycle, and identified genes that may play influential roles in parasite development and invasion. The just-in-time mechanism for gene expression may contribute to a dynamic yet effective adaptive strategy of the malaria parasite.