Although the antimalarial agent, artemisinin itself is not active against tuberculosis, conjugation to a mycobacterial specific siderophore (microbial iron chelator) analog induces significant and selective anti-tuberculosis activity, including activity against MDR and XDR strains of Mtb. The conjugate also retains potent antimalarial activity. Physicochemical and whole cell studies indicate that ferric to ferrous reduction of the iron complex of the conjugate initiates the expected bactericidal Fenton-type radical chemistry on the artemisinin component. Thus, this “Trojan Horse” approach demonstrates that new pathogen selective therapeutic agents can be generated in which the iron component of the delivery vehicle also participates in triggering the antibiotic activity. The result is that one appropriate conjugate has potent and selective activity against two of the most deadly diseases in the world.

Genetic crosses of phenotypically distinct strains of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum are a powerful tool for identifying genes controlling drug resistance and other key phenotypes. Previous studies relied on the isolation of recombinant parasites from splenectomized chimpanzees, a research avenue that is no longer available. Here, we demonstrate that human-liver chimeric mice support recovery of recombinant progeny for the identification of genetic determinants of parasite traits and adaptations.

Summary Mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine (CQ) resistance transporter (PfCRT), are major determinants of verapamil (VP)-reversible CQ resistance (CQR). In the presence of mutant PfCRT, additional genes contribute to the wide range of CQ susceptibilities observed. It is not known if these genes influence mechanisms of chemosensitization by CQR reversal agents. Using quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping of progeny clones from the HB3 × Dd2 cross, we show that the P. falciparum multidrug resistance gene 1 (pfmdr1) interacts with the Southeast Asia-derived mutant pfcrt haplotype to modulate CQR levels. A novel chromosome 7 locus is predicted to contribute with the pfcrt and pfmdr1 loci to influence CQR levels. Chemoreversal via a wide range of chemical structures operates through a direct pfcrt-based mechanism. Direct inhibition of parasite growth by these reversal agents is influenced by pfcrt mutations and additional loci. Direct labeling of purified recombinant PfMDR1 protein with a highly specific photoaffinity CQ analogue, and lack of competition for photolabeling by VP, supports our QTL predictions. We find no evidence that pfmdr1 copy number affects CQ response in the progeny, however, inheritance patterns indicate that an allele-specific interaction between pfmdr1 and pfcrt is part of the complex genetic background of CQR.

To exploit zebrafish as a transgenic model, tissue-specific promoters must be identified. We isolated a 20-kilobase (kbp) zebrafish rod opsin genomic clone, which consists of 18 kbp of 5-flanking region, the entire coding region, and 0.

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that persists as a chronic infection. Toxoplasma evades immunity by forming tissue cysts, which reactivate to cause life-threatening disease during immune suppression. There is an urgent need to identify drugs capable of targeting these latent tissue cysts, which tend to form in the brain. We previously showed that translational control is critical during infections with both replicative and latent forms of Toxoplasma. Here we report that guanabenz, an FDA-approved drug that interferes with translational control, has antiparasitic activity against replicative stages of Toxoplasma and the related apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium falciparum (a malaria agent). We also found that inhibition of translational control interfered with tissue cyst biology in vitro. Toxoplasma bradyzoites present in these abnormal cysts were diminished and misconfigured, surrounded by empty space not seen in normal cysts. These findings prompted analysis of the efficacy of guanabenz in vivo by using established mouse models of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis. In addition to protecting mice from lethal doses of Toxoplasma, guanabenz has a remarkable ability to reduce the number of brain cysts in chronically infected mice. Our findings suggest that guanabenz can be repurposed into an effective antiparasitic with a unique ability to reduce tissue cysts in the brain.