# name
Transcriptional variation in malaria parasites: why and how

# metadata.dc.description.abstract[].value
Transcriptional differences enable the generation of
                alternative phenotypes from the same genome. In malaria
                parasites, transcriptional plasticity plays a major role in the
                process of adaptation to fluctuations in the environment.
                Multiple studies with culture-adapted parasites and field
                isolates are starting to unravel the different transcriptional
                alternatives available to Plasmodium falciparum and the
                underlying molecular mechanisms. Here we discuss how epigenetic
                variation, directed transcriptional responses and also genetic
                changes that affect transcript levels can all contribute to
                transcriptional variation and, ultimately, parasite survival.
                Some transcriptional changes are driven by stochastic events.
                These changes can occur spontaneously, resulting in
                heterogeneity within parasite populations that provides the
                grounds for adaptation by dynamic natural selection. However,
                transcriptional changes can also occur in response to external
                cues. A better understanding of the mechanisms that the parasite
                has evolved to alter its transcriptome may ultimately contribute
                to the design of strategies to combat malaria to which the
                parasite cannot adapt.

# metadata.dc.rights[].value
(c) Llorà Batlle, Oriol; Tintó Font, Elisabet; Cortés, Alfred, 2019

# metadata.dc.source[].value
Articles publicats en revistes (ISGlobal)

# metadata.dc.title[].value
Transcriptional variation in malaria parasites: why and how