Abstract
We performed a forward genetic screen, using Drosophila as a surrogate mosquito, to identify host factors required for the growth of the avian malaria parasite, Plasmodium gallinaceum. We identified 18 presumed loss-of-function mutants that reduced the growth of the parasite in flies. Presumptive mutation sites were identified in 14 of the mutants on the basis of the insertion site of a transposable element. None of the identified genes have been previously implicated in innate immune responses or interactions with Plasmodium. The functions of five Anopheles gambiae homologs were tested by using RNAi to knock down gene function followed by measuring the growth of the rodent parasite, Plasmodium berghei. Loss of function of four of these genes in the mosquito affected Plasmodium growth, suggesting that Drosophila can be used effectively as a surrogate mosquito to identify relevant host factors in the mosquito.
Footnotes
↵1 Present address: Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch Science Center, 27 Creyke Rd., Christchurch 8540, New Zealand.
Communicating editor: T. Schupbach
- Received March 30, 2008.
- Accepted August 19, 2008.
- Copyright © 2008 by the Genetics Society of America