Efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in P. falciparum

• Main Authors: Zhang, Feng (Contributor), Wagner, Jeffrey C. (Contributor), Platt, Randall Jeffrey (Contributor), Goldfless, Stephen J. (Contributor), Niles, Jacquin (Contributor)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Contributor), McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group, 2015-10-29T15:05:06Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

Malaria is a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, and new strategies for treating and preventing this disease are needed. Here we show that the Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 DNA endonuclease and single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) produced using T7 RNA polymerase (T7 RNAP) efficiently edit the Plasmodium falciparum genome. Targeting the genes encoding native knob-associated histidine-rich protein (kahrp) and erythrocyte binding antigen 175 (eba-175), we achieved high (≥50-100%) gene disruption frequencies within the usual time frame for generating transgenic parasites.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U.S.) (Biotechnology Training Grant 5-T32-GM08334)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Training Grant in Toxicology 5-T32-ES007020)
National Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowship (Grant 1122374)
National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Director's New Innovator Award 1DP2OD007124)
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Grand Challenges Explorations Initiative OPP1069759)