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Volume 5, Issue 2 (Suppl) J Infect Dis Ther 2017
ISSN: 2332-0877, JIDT an open access journal Infection Congress 2017
May 11-12, 2017
May 11-12, 2017 Barcelona, Spain
4th International Congress on
Infectious Diseases
Cell-cell communication between Plasmodium and host immune via exosomes
Yifat Ofir-Birin1, Xavier Sisquella2, Matthew A Pimentel2, Jocelyn Sietsma Penington2, Anthony T Papenfuss2, Ziv Porat1, Tal Meningher3, Dror Avni3, Eli
Schwartz3, Andrew Bowie4 and Neta Regev-Rudzki1, 2
1Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
2Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australia
3Sheba Cancer Research Center, Israel
4Trinity Collage Dublin, Ireland
Malaria, kills up to a million people each year, is caused by the protozoa of the genus Plasmodium falciparum (Pf). These vector-
born parasites cycle between mosquitoes and humans and, in both contexts, are faced with an unstable and hostile environment.
To ensure survival and transmission, the malaria parasite must infect and survive in the human host and differentiate into sexual
forms that are competent for transmission to mosquitoes. We found for the first time that Pf-infected red blood cells (iRBCs) directly
exchange cargo between them using nano-vesicles (exosomes). These tiny vesicles are capable of delivering protected genes to target
cells. Cell-cell communication is a critically important mechanism for information exchange that promotes cell survival. How Pf
parasites sense their host environment and coordinate their actions remain one of the greatest mysteries in malaria. Moreover, our
understanding in the mechanism regulate human immune response to malaria infection is poor. Here, we found that malaria-derived
exosomes carry remarkable cargo providing a secure and efficient mode for signal delivery. We developed an exosomes tracking
assay and could measure Pf exosomes uptake by different cell types. Moreover, although early life-stages of Pf-iRBC are considered
immunologically inert, our initial observations show that ring-stage derived exosomes are immunogenic. We show that exosomes
can specifically activate and induce pro-inflammatory responses, resulting in interferon type I response. This is a new area of malaria
research which may shed a light on the ability of malaria parasite to manipulate their host response.
Biography
Yifat Ofir-Birin is pursuing her Post-doctorate Degree at Dr. Neta Regev - Rudzki’s lab. She is leading an area of research which focuses on “Intercellular
communication between malaria parasites and its human host via extracellular vesicles, exosomes”. During 2013-2015, She was a Senior Scientist at Evogene
R&D while leading an innovative research team in order to find new genes which improve crops traits. She completed her PhD thesis under the supervision of
Professor Ehud Razin. Her thesis demonstrates “The structure and function of the Ap4A-LysRS-MITF pathway in mast cells.
Yifat Ofir-Birin et al., J Infect Dis Ther 2017, 5:2 (Suppl)