Alfred Cortés

Alfred Cortés Closas
Institut de Salut Global Barcelona (ISGlobal), Barcelona
Project leader

Dissecting the initial molecular events that trigger sexual conversion and transmission in malaria parasites.

The transmission of malaria from one human to another occurs via mosquito vectors. In the human blood, the majority of parasites multiply asexually, but the only forms that can infect a mosquito are the sexual forms termed gametocytes. Hence, the conversion of some asexually-growing parasites into sexual gametocytes is essential for malaria transmission. Some important regulators of sexual conversion were recently identified, but the ultimate layer of regulation is not known. We identified an epigenetically inherited trait, a repressive chromatin structure (heterochromatin) at the locus encoding GDV1, that correlates with basal sexual conversion rates. Environmental conditions that enhance sexual conversion result in specific changes in the heterochromatin at this locus, associated with changes in the expression of a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) encoded at the same locus. A complex relationship between heterochromatin levels, lncRNA expression and GDV1 protein expression regulates basal and environmentally-induced sexual conversion rates.

Alfred Cortés obtained a PhD to work on Drosophila DNA binding proteins (CID-CSIC, Barcelona), after which he started to study malaria parasites. He worked for four years as the Head of the Molecular Parasitology lab at the Papua New Guinea IMR, where his research focused on basic malaria parasite biology and epidemiological aspects of the disease. Back to Europe, he worked for almost three years at the MRC-NIMR (London) on epigenetic regulation of gene expression and invasion of erythrocytes by malaria parasites. In 2006, he moved to IRB Barcelona with an ICREA jr contract. He joined CRESIB-ISGlobal in 2011, and one year later he was appointed as an ICREA Research Professor. His current research focuses on the regulation of gene expression in malaria parasites, mainly on epigenetic processes that play a key role in the adaptation of parasites to changes in the conditions of their environment. (Read full CV).

The central research interest of Alfred Cortés’ team is epigenetic variation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which refers to heritable differences that can result in different phenotypes among genetically identical parasites. They study the chromatin-based mechanisms involved in the epigenetic regulation of variantly expressed genes, and the role of epigenetic variation in the adaptation of parasite populations to changes in their environment. They combine genome-wide studies with studies on specific genes that regulate important processes in parasite biology. These include sexual conversion, which is necessary for malaria transmission, and the heat-shock response, required for parasite survival at febrile temperatures.

Institut de Salut Global Barcelona (ISGlobal)
Carrer Rosselló 153 (CEK building)
08036 Barcelona
Tel.: (+34) 93 227 54 00 ext. 4276

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @CortesMalaria