Lysophosphatidylcholine regulates sexual stage differentiation in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Purpose: The goal of this study was to identify genes associated with increased sexual differentiation in P. falciparum. Method: RNAseq analysis of two different P. falciparum strains (NF54 and Pf2004/164tdTom) cultured under sexual differentiation-inducing (-SerM) and non-inducing (-SerM/LysoPC and -SerM/Serum) conditions Results: We found a total of 342 genes significantly induced in response to LysoPC depletion, thereby determining changes associated with sexual differentiation and limiting Kenndedy pathway substrates. RNAseq profiles were generated from tightly synchonised P. falciparum cultures during the process of sexual commitment, in 2 different stains, using 3 different conditions. mRNA was collected from 3 consecutive time points each.