From Metabolite to Metabolome: Metabolomics Applications in Plasmodium Research

Xinyu Yu; Gaoqian Feng; Qingfeng Zhang; Jun Cao

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.626183

From Metabolite to Metabolome: Metabolomics Applications in Plasmodium Research

Front Microbiol. 2021 Jan 11:11:626183. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.626183. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Xinyu Yu^{1

2}, Gaoqian Feng^{3

4}, Qingfeng Zhang⁵, Jun Cao^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China.
² Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
³ Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Arrhythmias of the Ministry of Education of China, Research Center for Translational Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁶ Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

Advances in research over the past few decades have greatly improved metabolomics-based approaches in studying parasite biology and disease etiology. This improves the investigation of varied metabolic requirements during life stages or when following transmission to their hosts, and fulfills the demand for improved diagnostics and precise therapeutics. Therefore, this review highlights the progress of metabolomics in malaria research, including metabolic mapping of Plasmodium vertebrate life cycle stages to investigate antimalarials mode of actions and underlying complex host-parasite interactions. Also, we discuss current limitations as well as make several practical suggestions for methodological improvements which could drive metabolomics progress for malaria from a comprehensive perspective.

Keywords: antimalarial; life stage; metabolomics; mode of action; plasmodium.

Publication types

Review