Publications

Selected — for full list see Google Scholar

  1. Regulators of male and female sexual development critical for transmission of a malaria parasite
    Andrew J C Russell, Theo Sanderson, Ellen Bushell, Arthur M Talman, Burcu Anar, Gareth Girling, Mirjam Hunziker, Robyn S Kent, Tom Metcalf, Ruddy Montandon, Vikash Pandey, A Brett Roberts, Claire Sayers, Frank Schwach, Julian C Rayner, Thierry Voet, Katarzyna K Modrzynska, Andrew P. Waters, Mara K N Lawniczak, Oliver Billker (2021) Regulators of male and female sexual development critical for transmission of a malaria parasite. Preprint bioRxiv
  2. Chiappino-Pepe A, Pandey V, Billker O. (2021) Genome reconstructions of metabolism of Plasmodium RBC and liver stages. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2021 259-266. PMID: 34461385
  3. Raddi G, Barletta ABF, Efremova M, Ramirez JL, Cantera R, Teichmann SA,  Barillas-Mury C, Billker O. Mosquito cellular immunity at single-cell resolution. Science 369 (6507), 1128-1132 PMID: 32855340
  4. Stanway RR*, Bushell E*, Chiappino-Pepe A*, Roques M*, Sanderson T, Franke-Fayard B, Caldelari R, Golomingi M, Nyonda M, Pandey V, Schwach F, Chevalley S, Ramesar J, Metcalf T, Herd C, Burda PC, Rayne JC, Soldati-Favre D, Janse CJ, Hatzimanikatis V, Billker O^, Heussler VT^. (2019) Genome Scale Identification of Essential Metabolic Processes for Targeting the Plasmodium Liver Stage. Cell 179(5):1112-1128 PMID: 31730853
  5. Howick VM, Russell AJC, Andrews T, Heaton H, Reid AJ, Natarajan K, Butungi H, Metcalf T, Verzier LH, Rayner JC, Berriman M, Herren JK, Billker O, Hemberg M, Talman AM, Lawniczak MKN. (2019) The Malaria Cell Atlas: Single parasite transcriptomes across the complete Plasmodium life cycle. Science 365 (6455). doi: 10.1126/science.aaw2619. PMID: 31439762.
  6. Hillier C, Pardo M, Yu L, Bushell E, Sanderson T, Metcalf T, Herd C, Anar B, Rayner JC, Billker O^,Choudhary JS^. Landscape of the Plasmodium Interactome Reveals Both Conserved and Species-Specific Functionality. Cell Reports 28:1635-1647. PMID: 31390575.
  7. Kent RS, Modrzynska KK, Cameron R, Philip N, Billker O, Waters AP. Inducible developmental reprogramming redefines commitment to sexual development in the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. Nat Microbiol. 2018 Nov;3(11):1206-1213. doi: 10.1038/s41564-018-0223-6. PMID: 30177743
  8. Fang H, Gomes AR, Klages N, Pino P, Maco B, Walker EM, Zenonos ZA, Angrisano F, Baum J, Doerig C, Baker DA, Billker O, Brochet M. Epistasis studies reveal redundancy among calcium-dependent protein kinases in motility and invasion of malaria parasites. Nat Commun. 2018 Oct 12;9(1):4248. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-06733-w. PMID: 30315162
  9. Reid AJ, Talman AM, Bennett HM, Gomes AR, Sanders MJ, Illingworth CJR, Billker O, Berriman M, Lawniczak MK. Single-cell RNA-seq reveals hidden transcriptional variation in malaria parasites. Elife 2018 Mar 27;7. pii: e33105. doi: 10.7554/eLife.33105. PMID: 29580379.
  10. Bushell E, Gomes AR, Sanderson T, Anar B, Girling G, Herd H, Metcalf T, Modrzynska K, Schwach F, Martin RE, Mather MW, McFadden GI, Parts L, Rutledge GG, Vaidya AB, Wengelnik K, Rayner JC, Billker O (2017) Functional profiling of a Plasmodium genome reveals an abundance of essential genes. Cell 170:260-272. PMID: 28708996.
  11. Mancio-Silva L, Slavic K, Grilo Ruivo MT, Grosso AR, Modrzynska K, Vera IM, Sales-DiasJ, Gomes AR, MacPherson CR, Crozet P, Adamo M, Baena-Gonzalez E, Tewari R, Llinás M, Billker O, Mota MM (2017) Nutrient sensing modulates malaria parasite virulence. Nature 547 (213-216). PMID: 28678779.
  12. BM Invergo, M Brochet, L Yu, J Choudhary, P Beltrao, O Billker (2017) Sub-minute phosphoregulation of cell-cycle systems during Plasmodium gamete formation. Cell Reports 21(7): 2017–2029. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.10.071. PMID: 29141230.
  13. Modrzynska K, Pfander C, Chappell L, Yu L, Suarez C, Dundas K, Gomes AR, Goulding D, Rayner J, Choudhary J, Billker O (2017) A knockout screen of ApiAP2 genes reveals networks of interacting transcriptional regulators controlling the Plasmodium life cycle. Cell Host Microbe 21 (1) 11-22, doi: 1016/j.chom.2016.12.003.
  14. T Brugat, AJ Reid, J Lin, D Cunningham, I Tumwine, G Kushinga, S McLaughlin, P Spence, U Böhme, M Sanders, S Conteh, E Bushell, T Metcalf, O Billker, PE Duffy, C Newbold, M Berriman, J Langhorne (2017). Antibody-independent clonal selection regulates the establishment of chronic Plasmodium Nature Microbiology 2,16276. PMID: 28165471.
  15. Lönnberg T, Svensson V, James KR, Fernandez-Ruiz D, Sebina I, Montandon R, Soon MSF, Fogg LG, Nair AS, Liligeto U, Stubbington MJT, Ly LH, Bagger FO, Zwiessele M, Lawrence ND, Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes F, Bunn PT, Engwerda CR, Heath WR, Billker O, Stegle O, Haque A, Teichmann SA. Temporal mixture modelling of single-cell RNA-seq data resolves a CD4+ T cell fate bifurcation. Science Immunology (2017). PMID: 28345074.
  16. Brochet M, Billker O (2016) Calcium signalling in malaria parasites. Molecular Microbiology. Jan 7. doi: 10.1111/mmi.13324. PMID: 26748879.
  17. Gomes AR, Bushell E, Schwach F, Girling G, Anar B, Quail MA, Herd C, Pfander C, Modrzynska K, Rayner JC, and Billker O (2015) A genome scale vector resource enables high throughput reverse genetic screening in a malaria parasite. Cell Host Microbe 17, 1–10. PMID: 25732065.
  18. Schwach F, Bushell E, Gomes AR, Anar B, Girling G, Herd C, Rayner JC and Billker O (2015) PlasmoGEM, a database supporting a community resource for large-scale experimental genetics in malaria parasites. Nucleic Acids Res 43, 1176-1182. PMID: 25593348.
  19. Sinha A, Hughes KR, Modrzynska KK, Otto TD, Pfander C, Dickens NJ, Religa AA, Bushell E, Graham AL, Cameron R, Kafsack BF, Williams AE, Llinas M, Berriman M, Billker O, and Waters AP (2014) A cascade of DNA-binding proteins for sexual commitment and development in Plasmodium. Nature 507, 253-257. PMID: 24572359.
  20. Brochet M, Collins MO, Smith TK, Thompson E, Sebastian S, Volkmann K, Schwach, F Chappell L, Gomes AR, Berriman M, Rayner JC, Baker DA, Choudhary J, and Billker O (2014) Phosphoinositide metabolism links cGMP-dependent protein kinase G to essential Ca2+ signals at key decision points in the life cycle of malaria parasites. PLOS Biol 12, e1001806. PMID: 24594931.
  21. Ning J, Otto TD, Pfander C, Schwach F, Brochet M, Bushell E, Goulding D, Sanders M, Lefebvre PA, Pei J, Grishin NV, Vanderlaan G, Billker O, and Snell WJ (2013) Comparative genomics in Chlamydomonas and Plasmodium identifies an ancient nuclear envelope protein family essential for sexual reproduction in protists, fungi, plants, and vertebrates. Genes Dev 27, 1198-1215.
  22. Sebastian S, Brochet M, Collins MO, Schwach F, Jones ML, Goulding D, Rayner JC, Choudhary JS, and Billker O (2012) A Plasmodium calcium-dependent protein kinase controls zygote development and transmission by translationally activating repressed mRNAs. Cell Host Microbe 12, 9-19.
  23. Ojo KK, Pfander C, Mueller NR, Burstroem C, Larson ET, Bryan CM, Fox AM, Reid MC, Johnson SM, Murphy RC, Kennedy M, Mann H, Leibly DJ, Hewitt SN, Verlinde CL, Kappe S, Merritt EA, Maly DJ, Billker O, and Van Voorhis WC (2012) Transmission of malaria to mosquitoes blocked by bumped kinase inhibitors. J Clin Invest 122, 2301-2305.
  24. Pfander, C, Anar, B, Schwach, F, Otto, TD, Brochet, M, Volkmann, K, Quail, MA, Pain, A, Rosen, B, Skarnes, W, Rayner, JC, and Billker, O (2011) A scalable pipeline for highly effective genetic modification of a malaria parasite. Nature Methods 8, 1078-1082.
  25. Tewari R, Straschil U, Bateman A, Bohme U, Cherevach I, Gong P, Pain A, and Billker O (2010) The systematic functional analysis of Plasmodium protein kinases identifies essential regulators of mosquito transmission. Cell Host Microbe 8, 377-387.
  26. Billker O, Lourido S, and Sibley LD (2009) Calcium-dependent signaling and kinases in apicomplexan parasites. Cell Host Microbe 5, 612-622.
  27. Liu Y, Tewari R, Ning J, Blagborough AM, Garbom S, Pei J, Grishin NV, Steele RE, Sinden RE, Snell WJ, and Billker O (2008) The conserved plant sterility gene HAP2 functions after attachment of fusogenic membranes in Chlamydomonas and Plasmodium. Genes Dev 22, 1051-1068.
  28. P Alano, and O Billker (2005) Chapter 11: Gametocytes and Gametes. In: I. Sherman (Ed.) Molecular Approaches to Malaria. ASM Press 191-215.
  29. Billker O, Dechamps S, Tewari R, Wenig G, Franke-Fayard B, and Brinkmann V (2004) Calcium and a calcium-dependent protein kinase regulate gamete formation and mosquito transmission in a malaria parasite. Cell 117, 503-514.
  30. Billker O, Popp A, Brinkmann V, Wenig G, Schneider J, Caron E, and Meyer TF (2002) Distinct mechanisms of internalization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by members of the CEACAM receptor family involving Rac1- and Cdc42-dependent and -independent pathways. EMBO J 21, 560-571.
  31. Billker O, Lindo V, Panico M, Etienne AE, Paxton T, Dell A, Rogers M, Sinden RE, and Morris HR (1998) Identification of xanthurenic acid as the putative inducer of malaria development in the mosquito. Nature 392, 289-292.
  32. Billker O, Shaw MK, Margos G, and Sinden RE (1997) The roles of temperature, pH and mosquito factors as triggers of male and female gametogenesis of Plasmodium berghei in vitro. Parasitology 115, 1-7.
  33. Sinden, RE, Butcher, GA, Billker, O, and Fleck, SL (1996) Regulation of infectivity of Plasmodium to the mosquito vector. Adv Parasitol 38, 53-117.