Autophagy in placental malaria: effects and mechanisms

• Grant number: 13/16417-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: September 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology
• Principal Investigator: Cláudio Romero Farias Marinho
• Grantee: Flávia Afonso Lima
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Malaria in pregnancy is a major public health problem in countries where the disease is endemic, causing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. It remains unclear why pregnant women are more susceptible to malaria. However, it is known that the placenta provides a favorable environment to the development of certain parasite subpopulations, triggering an intense inflammatory infiltrate which is associated with abortions, intrauterine growth retardation, premature births and low birth weight. Autophagy is an essential process for cell survival during stress, such as infections or cell exposure to microbial products. It also plays a role in the trophoblast response to stress agents in normal pregnancy, allowing these cells to adapt to a variety of insults usually found in pregnant women. Certain signaling molecules related to the immune system can regulate autophagy. Although in recent years many studies have defined the clinical manifestations of malaria during pregnancy, the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with the inflammatory process are not yet fully understood. In this project we intend to evaluate the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of placental malaria. This study will not only make an important contribution to a better understanding of placental malaria, but could also enable new studies directed to the development of new diagnostic methods and gestational malaria treatment.

Scientific publications

(5)

(The scientific publications listed on this page originate from the Web of Science or SciELO databases. Their authors have cited FAPESP grant or fellowship project numbers awarded to Principal Investigators or Fellowship Recipients, whether or not they are among the authors. This information is collected automatically and retrieved directly from those bibliometric databases.)

REIS, ARAMYS S.; BARBOZA, RENATO; MURILLO, OSCAR; BARATEIRO, ANDRE; PEIXOTO, ERIKA P. M.; LIMA, FLAVIA A.; GOMES, VINICIUS M.; DOMBROWSKI, JAMILLE G.; LEAL, VINICIUS N. C.; ARAUJO, FRANCIELE; et al. Inflammasome activation and IL-1 signaling during placental malaria induce poor pregnancy outcomes. SCIENCE ADVANCES, v. 6, n. 10, MAR 2020. (14/09964-5, 15/23395-6, 14/20451-0, 17/03939-7, 11/19048-8, 17/05782-8, 13/16417-8, 16/07030-0, 12/16525-2, 12/04755-3, 15/50650-7, 18/20468-0, 13/00981-1, 11/17880-8, 15/06106-0)

BARBOZA, RENATO; LIMA, FLAVIA AFONSO; REIS, ARAMYS SILVA; MURILLO, OSCAR JAVIER; MACHADO PEIXOTO, ERIKA PAULA; BANDEIRA, CARLA LETICIA; FOTORAN, WESLEY LUZETTI; SARDINHA, LUIS ROBERTO; WUNDERLICH, GERHARD; BEVILACQUA, ESTELA; et al. TLR4-Mediated Placental Pathology and Pregnancy Outcome in Experimental Malaria. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 7, AUG 17 2017. (12/16525-2, 11/17880-8, 14/20451-0, 14/09964-5, 15/06106-0, 13/00981-1, 11/19048-8, 13/16417-8, 09/53889-0)

LIMA, FLAVIA AFONSO; BARATEIRO, ANDRE; DOMBROWSKI, JAMILLE GREGORIO; DE SOUZA, RODRIGO MEDEIROS; COSTA, DOUGLAS DE SOUSA; MURILLO, OSCAR; EPIPHANIO, SABRINA; GONCALVES, LIGIA ANTUNES; FARIAS MARINHO, CLAUDIO ROMERO. Plasmodium falciparum infection dysregulates placental autophagy. PLoS One, v. 14, n. 12, DEC 5 2019. (17/03939-7, 17/05782-8, 13/16417-8, 12/04755-3, 16/07030-0, 15/06106-0, 13/00981-1, 18/20468-0)

DOMBROWSKI, JAMILLE GREGORIO; DE SOUZA, RODRIGO MEDEIROS; LIMA, FLAVIA AFONSO; BANDEIRA, CARLA LETICIA; MURILLO, OSCAR; COSTA, DOUGLAS DE SOUSA; MACHADO PEIXOTO, ERIKA PAULA; CUNHA, MARIELTON DOS PASSOS; DE ANDRADE ZANOTTO, PAOLO MARINHO; BEVILACQUA, ESTELA; et al. Association of Malaria Infection During Pregnancy With Head Circumference of Newborns in the Brazilian Amazon. JAMA NETWORK OPEN, v. 2, n. 5, MAY 2019. (14/17766-9, 18/20468-0, 12/04755-3, 13/21728-2, 14/20451-0, 14/09964-5, 15/06106-0, 13/00981-1, 16/08204-2, 13/16417-8, 09/53889-0)

BARBOZA, RENATO; HASENKAMP, LUTERO; BARATEIRO, ANDRE; MURILLO, OSCAR; MACHADO PEIXOTO, ERIKA PAULA; LIMA, FLAVIA AFONSO; REIS, ARAMYS SILVA; GONCALVES, LIGIA ANTUNES; EPIPHANIO, SABRINA; MARINHO, CLAUDIO R. F.. Fetal-Derived MyD88 Signaling Contributes to Poor Pregnancy Outcomes During Gestational Malaria. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 10, JAN 29 2019. (11/17880-8, 15/10892-1, 09/53256-7, 12/14715-9, 16/07030-0, 15/06106-0, 17/03939-7, 11/19048-8, 13/16417-8, 09/53889-0)