Cucumaria echinata
Encyclopedia
Cucumaria echinata is a sea cucumber species in the genus Cucumaria
.
Cucumaria echinata is found in the Bay of Bengal
. It is known to produce a lectin
that has the ability to block the development of Plasmodium
, the causal agent of malaria
, when it is expressed in genetically modified Anopheles
mosquito
es.
Cucumaria
Cucumaria is a genus of sea cucumbers.-Selected species:* Orange-footed sea cucumber, Cucumaria frondosa* Orange sea cucumber, Cucumaria miniata* Cucumaria echinata...
.
Cucumaria echinata is found in the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
. It is known to produce a lectin
Lectin
Lectins are sugar-binding proteins that are highly specific for their sugar moieties. They play a role in biological recognition phenomena involving cells and proteins. For example, some viruses use lectins to attach themselves to the cells of the host organism during infection...
that has the ability to block the development of Plasmodium
Plasmodium
Plasmodium is a genus of parasitic protists. Infection by these organisms is known as malaria. The genus Plasmodium was described in 1885 by Ettore Marchiafava and Angelo Celli. Currently over 200 species of this genus are recognized and new species continue to be described.Of the over 200 known...
, the causal agent of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, when it is expressed in genetically modified Anopheles
Anopheles
Anopheles is a genus of mosquito. There are approximately 460 recognized species: while over 100 can transmit human malaria, only 30–40 commonly transmit parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which cause malaria in humans in endemic areas...
mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es.