Metabolomics in the fight against malaria.

Jorge L Salinas,Jessica C Kissinger,Dean P Jones,Mary R Galinski

doi:10.1590/0074-0276140043

Jorge L Salinas, Jessica C Kissinger + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0074-0276140043

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Abstract

Metabolomics uses high-resolution mass spectrometry to provide a chemical fingerprint of thousands of metabolites present in cells, tissues or body fluids. Such metabolic phenotyping has been successfully used to study various biologic processes and disease states. High-resolution metabolomics can shed new light on the intricacies of host-parasite interactions in each stage of the Plasmodium life cycle and the downstream ramifications on the host’s metabolism, pathogenesis and disease. Such data can become integrated with other large datasets generated using top-down systems biology approaches and be utilised by computational biologists to develop and enhance models of malaria pathogenesis relevant for identifying new drug targets or intervention strategies. Here, we focus on the promise of metabolomics to complement systems biology approaches in the quest for novel interventions in the fight against malaria. We introduce the Malaria Host-Pathogen Interaction Center (MaHPIC), a new systems biology research coalition. A primary goal of the MaHPIC is to generate systems biology datasets relating to human and non-human primate (NHP) malaria parasites and their hosts making these openly available from an online relational database. Metabolomic data from NHP infections and clinical malaria infections from around the world will comprise a unique global resource.

Highlights

The causal agent of malaria was discovered over 100 years ago
Clinical details relating to each Plasmodium species capable of infecting humans have been documented (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi), as well as morbidity and mortality statistics and basic disease findings (Baird 2013, White et al 2013)
Systems biology comprises an increasing number of omic technologies that have become relevant for malaria research; for example, transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics, glycomics, epigenomics and metabolomics, among others

Summary

Introduction

The causal agent of malaria was discovered over 100 years ago. Since, clinical details relating to each Plasmodium species capable of infecting humans have been documented (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi), as well as morbidity and mortality statistics and basic disease findings (Baird 2013, White et al 2013). This is a goal of the Malaria Host-Pathogen Interaction Center (MaHPIC) (systemsbiology.emory.edu), a research consortium focused on the systems biology of malaria infections in non-human primates (NHPs) and involving a growing network of scientists investigating different aspects of human clinical malaria in the field.

Results

Conclusion