Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41426079›Full record

ArticleBMC methods2024

Mosquito Tissue Ultrastructure-Expansion Microscopy (MoTissU-ExM) enables ultrastructural and anatomical analysis of malaria parasites and their mosquito.

Benjamin Liffner, Thiago Luiz Alves E Silva, Joel Vega-Rodriguez, Sabrina Absalon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC methods, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. A divergentResearch square · 2025
    Article
  4. Review
  5. DivergentLife science alliance · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Benjamin LiffnerDepartment of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1573-6139
Thiago Luiz Alves E SilvaMolecular Parasitology & Entomology Unit, Laboratory of Malaria & Vector Research, NIH-NIAID, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8520-5405
Joel Vega-RodriguezMolecular Parasitology & Entomology Unit, Laboratory of Malaria & Vector Research, NIH-NIAID, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9576-0058
Sabrina AbsalonDepartment of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2468-8156

Funding

Host-parasite-vector interactions during malaria transmissionZIAAI001250 · NIAID · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES · PI VEGA-RODRIGUEZ, JOEL · 2019 to 2025
$9.9M
Intramural NIH HHS ZIA AI001250
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Study of malaria parasite cell biology is challenged by their small size, which can make visualisation of individual organelles difficult or impossible using conventional light microscopy. In recent years, the field has attempted to overcome this challenge through the application of ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM), which physically expands a biological sample approximately 4.5-fold. To date, U-ExM has mostly been used to visualise blood-stage parasites and used exclusively on parasites in vitro. Methods: Here we develop Mosquito Tissue U-ExM (MoTissU-ExM), a method for preparing dissected mosquito salivary glands and midguts by U-ExM. MoTissU-ExM preserves both host and parasite ultrastructure, enabling visualisation of oocysts and sporozoites in situ. We also provide a point-by-point protocol for how to perform MoTissU-ExM. Results: We validate that MoTissU-ExM samples expand as expected, provide a direct comparison of the same dissected tissues before and after MoTissU-ExM, and highlight some of the key host and parasite structures that can be visualised following MoTissU-ExM. Discussion: We discuss potential use cases for MoTissU-ExM for study of malaria parasite biology, and more broadly. We detail drawbacks or challenges MoTissU-ExM and imaging these expanded tissues, along with information troubleshooting this technique. Finally, we discuss how MoTissU-ExM could be applied and adapted in future to increase its utility.

Indexed as

Expansion microscopyImagingMalariaMosquitoPlasmodiumTissue microscopyVector biology

Identifiers

PMID41426079
PMCPMC12714001

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.