A Plasmodium knowlesi A1-H.1 transcriptome time course focusing on the late asexual blood stages

Abstract Background The zoonotic parasite Plasmodium knowlesi is closely related to Plasmodium vivax , the second leading cause of human malaria. P. knowlesi line A1-H.1 can be maintained in human erythrocytes and is an experimental model for P. vivax biology. We present the first transcriptome time-course of the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC) of P. knowlesi A1-H.1 grown in human normocytes. Results Bulk RNA-sequencing was performed at five IDC stages using tightly synchronised cultures, enabling identification of constitutively expressed genes and stage-specific biomarkers, and investigation of temporal expression patterns of multigene families. Comparative analysis with P. vivax orthologues revealed strong genome-wide conservation of temporal expression. Analysis of invasion-associated genes and ApiAP2 transcription factors identified genes with conserved expression patterns for which P. knowlesi is likely a good model to study the P. vivax gene. To support comparative analyses, we developed an open-access interactive webtool to explore and visualise P. knowlesi – P. vivax orthologue expression across the IDC. Conclusions This time-course dataset provides a reference transcriptome framework for P. knowlesi A1-H.1 and a resource for comparative Plasmodium biology. The interactive webtool facilitates rapid identification of candidate genes with conserved temporal expression, streamlining functional studies in which P. knowlesi A1-H.1 serves as a model for P. vivax .