Study of host-parasite interaction proteins in case of Plasmodium falciparum mediated malaria and in-silico prediction of peptide-based inhibitors for crucial interactions

Abstract

Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasites and is transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquito. Of the 5 Plasmodium species that cause malaria, P. falciparum and P. vivax cause the greatest threat. The unavoidable problem of drug resistance among the parasites is significantly affecting our battle against this deadly infection. To tackle this problem the 2020 iGEM team from IISER Pune has proposed developing a peptide drug library. So when we observe that the parasite has developed resistance against one drug, we could choose a different one available in the library. This study is part of that effort where I would be investigating the cytoadherence promoting interaction between Plasmodium falciparum PfEMP1 virulence protein and human host CD36 receptor and predicting a peptide-based inhibitor for the interaction using in-silico analysis.