Malaria Genetics Section
Established in 1991
Jianbing Mu, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Scientist(Core), Malaria Genetics Section
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Major Areas of Research
- Genetic and epigenetic gene regulations in Plasmodium parasites
- Molecular biology of malaria pathogenesis
Program Description
- Parasites genetic diversity and associated phenotypes, such as antimalarial drug resistance and parasites virulence factors
- Epigenetic and epitranscriptomic modifications in parasite development and identification of novel targets for antimalaria drugs or transmission blocking
- Development of high-sensitivity assay for Plasmodium infection and others
- Multi-omic studies on disease vectors, with a focus on ticks and mosquitoes, aimed at identifying biomarkers and advancing vaccine development
Biography
Education
Ph.D., 2000, Saitama Medical School, Japan
M.D., 1992, Shanxi Medical University, China
Languages Spoken
Mandarin and Amoyese ChineseAfter earning his M.D. and Ph.D., Dr. Mu joined the NIAID Division of Intramural Research in 2000, where he served as a visiting fellow, research fellow, and staff scientist. Currently, Dr. Mu is an associate scientist in the NIAID office of the chief of the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research.
Dr. Mu’s research mainly focuses on the functional genomics of Plasmodium parasites, including the mechanisms of malaria gene regulation, drug responses, immune evasion, and pathogenesis by applying various approaches, such as genetic mapping and genome-wide association (GWA), genetic manipulation, epigenetic and epitranscriptomic modification. Key findings from his research include the genome-wide association study to map the loci associated with P. falciparum resistance to antimalarial drugs, epigenetic regulation of antigenic variation in P. falciparum parasites, epitranscriptomic modification in P. falciparum gene regulations and the development of the high-sensitivity assay for Plasmodium infection. Dr. Mu serves as the editorial board member for the following journals: Current Genomics, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, and the Journal of Tropical Medicine. Dr. Mu has received numerous awards, including the NIAID Merit Award and Performance Award.
Selected Publications
Lee SK, Crosnier C, Valenzuela-Leon PC, Dizon BLP, Atkinson JP, Mu J, Wright GJ, Calvo E, Gunalan K, Miller LH. Complement receptor 1 is the human erythrocyte receptor for Plasmodium vivax erythrocyte binding protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Jan 30;121(5):e2316304121.
Liu M, Guo G, Qian P, Mu J, Lu B, He X, Fan Y, Shang X, Yang G, Shen S, Liu W, Wang L, Gu L, Mu Q, Yu X, Zhao Y, Culleton R, Cao J, Jiang L, Wellems TE, Yuan J, Jiang C, Zhang Q (2022) 5-methylcytosine modification by Plasmodium NSUN2 stabilizes mRNA and mediates the development of gametocytes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Mar 1;119(9):e2110713119.
Xiao B, Yin S, Hu Y, Sun M, Wei J, Huang Z, Wen Y, Dai X, Chen H, Mu J, Cui L, Jiang L (2019) Epigenetic editing by CRISPR/dCas9 in Plasmodium falciparum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Jan 2;116(1):255-260.
Mu J, Andersen JF, Valenzuela JG, Wellems TE (2017) High-Sensitivity Assays for Plasmodium falciparum Infection by Immuno-Polymerase Chain Reaction Detection of PfIDEh and PfLDH Antigens. J Infect Dis. Sep 15;216(6):713-722.
Jiang L, Mu J, Zhang Q, Ni T, Srinivasan P, Rayavara K, Yang W, Turner L, Lavstsen T, Theander TG, Peng W, Wei G, Jing Q, Wakabayashi Y, Bansal A, Luo Y, Ribeiro JM, Scherf A, Aravind L, Zhu J, Zhao K, Miller LH (2013) PfSETvs methylation of histone H3K36 represses virulence genes in Plasmodium falciparum. Nature. Jul 11;499(7457):223-7.
Mu J, Myers RA, Jiang H, Liu S, Ricklefs S, Waisberg M, Chotivanich K, Wilairatana P, Krudsood S, White NJ, Udomsangpetch R, Cui L, Ho M, Ou F, Li H, Song J, Li G, Wang X, Seila S, Sokunthea S, Socheat D, Sturdevant DE, Porcella SF, Fairhurst RM, Wellems TE, Awadalla P, Su XZ. Plasmodium falciparum genome-wide scans for positive selection, recombination hot spots and resistance to antimalarial drugs. Nat Genet. 2010 Mar;42(3):268-71.
Tools & Equipment
Dr. Mu oversees the Genomics Core, which is equipped with advanced technologies to facilitate a broad spectrum of genomic and multi-omic studies. These include Sanger sequencing using the ABI3730xl, which provides high-throughput and high-accuracy DNA sequencing for genotyping and targeted DNA analysis. The Illumina NextSeq 550 System enables high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS), supporting applications such as whole-genome sequencing, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and epigenomics. Additionally, the CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager (SMI) facilitates cutting-edge spatial multiomics analysis, allowing for high-resolution spatial profiling of RNA and protein expression in complex tissues. Together, these platforms provide comprehensive tools for exploring genetic, transcriptomic, and spatial molecular data to address a variety of research questions.