Publications by authors named "Yongjie Kou"
Article Synopsis
- This study focuses on a pathogenic parasite that infects about one third of the global population and analyzes specific proteins (MICs) important for its survival and function.
- Researchers utilized the CRISPR-Cas9 technology to create gene knockout strains to examine the roles of 11 selected genes presumed to be involved in the parasite’s microneme structure.
- Results indicated that while most of the proteins were correctly localized in the microneme, two were incorrectly predicted; however, deleting these genes did not significantly affect the parasite's growth or ability to infect, suggesting they may have roles in other life stages or genetic variations of the parasite.
Article Synopsis
- Eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs) are essential for starting protein translation in the apicomplexan parasite, and this study used CRISPR-Cas9 to delete six specific eIFs to assess their roles.
- Four eIFs were found in the cytoplasm, one in the apicoplast, and one in both the basal complex and the cytoplasm, indicating diverse localization within the cell.
- While most deletions didn't affect the parasite's ability to invade or replicate, the deletion of the TGGT1_286090 gene hindered the parasite's ability to transform into a different form and suggests its potential as a target for future drug or vaccine development.
Article Synopsis
- SR proteins, particularly SR2, play a crucial role in splicing pre-mRNAs, but their impact on disease-causing pathogens hasn't been well studied.
- Researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to investigate SR2's function and found it localized in the nucleus during certain life stages of a parasite.
- Deleting SR2 from different parasite strains significantly reduced their virulence and brain cyst burden, indicating that SR2 could be a potential target for treating toxoplasmosis.
The Zinc finger protein (ZFP) family is widely distributed in eukaryotes and interacts with DNA, RNA, and various proteins to participate in many molecular processes. In the present study, the biological functions of eight ZFP genes in the lytic cycle and the pathogenicity of were examined using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Immunofluorescence showed that four ZFPs (RH248270-HA, RH255310-HA, RH309200-HA, and RH236640-HA) were localized in the cytoplasm, and one ZFP (RH273150-HA) was located in the nucleus, while the expression level of RH285190-HA, RH260870-HA, and RH248450-HA was undetectable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEfficient delivery of Echinococcus multilocularis miRNAs using chitosan nanoparticles.
Biomed Pharmacother
June 2022
Alveolar echinococcosis caused by Echinococcus multilocularis is an important zoonotic disease, a great threat to human health due to limited interventions. microRNAs are a type of small non-coding RNA that plays a key role in many diseases and is considered as a potential therapeutic target for control of parasitic diseases. However, naked miRNAs are difficult to enter into cells and are easily degraded in both external and internal environments.
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