Predominance of interferon-related responses in the brain during murine malaria as identified by microarray analysis.

Cerebral malaria (CM) can be a fatal manifestation of Plasmodium falciparum infection. We examined global gene expression patterns by microarray during fatal murine CM (FMCM) and non-cerebral malaria (NCM). There was differential expression of a number of genes, including some not yet characterized in the pathogenesis of FMCM. Some gene induction was observed during Plasmodium infection regardless of the development of CM and there was a predominance of genes linked to IFN responses, even in NCM. However, upon real-time PCR validation and quantitation, these genes were much more highly expressed in FMCM than in NCM. The observed changes included genes belonging to pathways such as interferon (IFN) signaling, MHC processing and presentation, apoptosis, immunomodulatory and anti-microbial processes. We further characterized differentially expressed genes by examining the cellular source of their expression as well as their temporal expression patterns during the course of malaria infection. These data identify a number of novel genes that represent interesting candidates for further investigation in FMCM.

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Miu J, Hunt NH, Ball HJ