Zinc finger nuclease-based double-strand breaks attenuate malaria parasites and reveal rare microhomology-mediated end joining

摘要

BackgroundGenome editing of malaria parasites is key to the generation of live attenuated parasites used in experimental vaccination approaches. DNA repair in Plasmodium generally occurs only through homologous recombination. This has been used to generate transgenic parasites that lack one to three genes, leading to developmental arrest in the liver and allowing the host to launch a protective immune response. While effective in principle, this approach is not safe for use in humans as single surviving parasites can still cause disease. Here we use zinc-finger nucleases to generate attenuated parasite lines lacking an entire chromosome arm, by a timed induction of a double-strand break. Rare surviving parasites also allow the investigation of unconventional DNA repair mechanisms in a rodent malaria parasite.