The Malaria Cell Atlas: Single parasite transcriptomes across the complete Plasmodium life cycle

Abstract

Mapping the malaria parasite Several species of the parasite Plasmodium cause human malarial diseases, and, despite determined control efforts, a huge global disease burden remains. Howick et al. present a single-cell analysis of transcription across the malaria parasite life cycle (see the Perspective by Winzeler). Single-cell transcriptomes generated from 10 different life-cycle stages of the rodent-model malaria parasite P. berghei identified 20 “modules” among 5156 core transcriptome genes. These clusters enabled functional assignment of hypothetical and conserved genes, and they hint at further substructure of established life-cycle stages. The atlas also allowed for P. falciparum and P. malariae transcriptomes from patient isolates to be deconvoluted and for classification of parasitemia according to developmental stage. Science , this issue p. eaaw2619 ; see also p. 753