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Molecular Parasitology Lab
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The lab studies gene expression and RNA repair in parasites.
AboutAbout the lab
Searching for new drug targets in parasite RNA
The Molecular Parasitology Lab studies the mechanisms of gene expression in parasites that cause diseases such as malaria and African sleeping sickness.
Focusing on the fact that the way the cap structure at the end of mRNA is formed differs between parasites and humans, the lab aims to develop new drugs that target it.
As another pillar of its research, the lab studies the mechanisms by which damaged RNA is repaired, in particular the function of RNA ligase, an enzyme that joins RNA.
The core of the research is cell culture, molecular biochemistry experiments, genetic experiments, and RNA cloning.
Key terms
- Cap structure
- A marker attached to the end of mRNA. It protects mRNA from degradation and helps proteins to be made.
- Trypanosome
- A parasite that causes diseases such as African sleeping sickness and nagana. The lab has chosen it as the model for cap formation.
- RNA ligase
- An enzyme that finds breaks in an RNA strand and joins the two ends together.
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to find processes in parasite gene expression that are unique to parasites and make them targets for new treatments. It also studies the mechanisms by which broken RNA is repaired inside cells.
*Illustrative imagemRNA cap formation in parasites
The lab studies how the cap structure is added to the end of mRNA in trypanosomes, a type of parasite. In this parasite, the cap takes a unique form called "cap 4," which carries methylation at seven sites. By studying the function of the enzymes that make the cap, the lab aims to identify effective drug targets.
*Illustrative imageThe function of an RNA-joining enzyme
Compared with DNA repair, our understanding of how RNA damage is recognized and repaired is limited. The lab studies how RNA ligase recognizes breaks, the structural features of the enzyme, and which RNAs it repairs inside cells.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Molecular Parasitology Lab consist of faculty and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.
- Associate ProfessorKiong Ho
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Trypanosoma brucei brucei SEM” Sue Vaughan / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- mRNA cap formation in parasites: “T. cruzi trypomastigotes in peripheral blood smear” CDC / Public domain (cropped)
- The function of an RNA-joining enzyme: “CSIRO ScienceImage 418 XRay Crystallography Protein Crystals” division, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Cellular Information Regulation Lab): “Confocal microscope AR” Ciphers / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Anatomy and Embryology Lab): “Laboratory microcentrifuge tubes and pipette tips 01” Gannu03 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab): “Yeast Cells in Wet Mount Microscopy of Culture” Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular Pathology Lab): “Laminar flow hood 2” TimVickers / Public domain (cropped)
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