Location: Animal Disease Research
Project Number: 2090-32000-040-038-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: May 1, 2023
End Date: Apr 30, 2026
Objective:
Babesia female gametes release soluble chemoattractant factors that influence the direction of male gamete migration consummating in gamete interaction. The objective of this research is identify soluble chemoattractant factor(s).
Approach:
The approach is to isolate the chemoattractant molecules using a bioassay-guided purification scheme. Purification of the unknown chemoattractant molecules from the background of inactive material contained in the liquid medium can be accomplished by concentrating the medium, subjecting it to one of the many available chemical separation methods, followed by bioassay of the resulting fractions. When the active fractions have been identified, the process will be repeated using another, complimentary separation method. After application of successive purification methods, it is expected that the active compounds will be sufficiently isolated to be characterized. The active compounds will be identified using chemical characterization methods such as NMR and mass spectrometry.
