Fig. 4.

Gene-silencing of candidate phagocyte genes reveals agonistic and antagonistic roles in malaria parasite survival. Candidate phagocyte genes were tested by dsRNA-mediated gene silencing and evaluated for their effects on P. falciparum oocyst numbers. Candidate genes are displayed by predicted function as transmembrane (TM) proteins, members of the RAS superfamily, or as other predicted immune genes of interest. For all experiments, each dot represents the number of parasites on an individual midgut 8 days after infection. Oocyst numbers were pooled from three or more independent biological replicates for each candidate gene. Median oocyst numbers from each experimental condition are denoted by the horizontal red line. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis with a Dunn's post-test to determine significance. Asterisks denote significance (*; p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01). ns, not significant.