Catherine Merrick

Dr Merrick is a Senior Lecturer in the Cambridge Pathology Department. Her research focuses on the human malaria parasite, with the goal of improving our understanding of the parasite’s basic biology and the impact of this biology on virulence. She uses molecular genetics and cell biology to study this important human pathogen.

Publications from Elements

Journal articles

2023 (Accepted for publication)

Craven, H., Merrick, C., Cicuta, P., Blagborough, A. and Nettesheim, G., 2023 (Accepted for publication). Effects of the G-quadruplex-binding drugs Quarfloxin and CX-5461 on the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance,

2023

Totañes, FIG., Gockel, J., Chapman, SE., Bártfai, R., Boemo, MA. and Merrick, CJ., 2023. A genome-wide map of DNA replication at single-molecule resolution in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Nucleic Acids Res, v. 51
Doi: 10.1093/nar/gkad093

2022 (Published online)

Edwards-Smallbone, J., Jensen, AL., Roberts, LE., Totañes, FIG., Hart, SR. and Merrick, CJ., 2022 (Published online). Plasmodium falciparum GBP2 Is a Telomere-Associated Protein That Binds to G-Quadruplex DNA and RNA Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, v. 12
Doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.782537

2022 (Accepted for publication)

Matthews, H., McDonald, J., Totanes, F. and Merrick, C., 2022 (Accepted for publication). Dynamics of DNA Replication during Male Gametogenesis in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Falciparum Cellular Microbiology,
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2701868

Merrick, C., 2022 (Accepted for publication). Histone lactylation A new epigenetic axis for host-parasite signalling in malaria? Trends in Parasitology,

Merrick, C., 2022 (Accepted for publication). Plasmodium falciparum GBP2 is a telomere-associated protein that binds to G-quadruplex DNA and RNA Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology,

2022

McDonald, J. and Merrick, CJ., 2022. DNA replication dynamics during erythrocytic schizogony in the malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium knowlesi. PLoS Pathog, v. 18
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1010595

Dumetz, F., Enright, AJ., Zhao, J., Kwok, CK. and Merrick, CJ., 2022. The in vivo RNA structurome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, a protozoan with an A/U-rich transcriptome. PLoS One, v. 17
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270863

2021 (Accepted for publication)

Merrick, CJ., Absalon, S., Brochet, M., Li, Z. and Suvorova, ES., 2021 (Accepted for publication). Editorial: Celebrating Microbial Diversity: The Many Cell Cycles of Eukaryotic Microbes. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, v. 11
Doi: http://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2021.738994

Dumetz, F., Chow, EY-C., Harris, L., Liew, SW., Jensen, A., Umar, M., Chung, B., Chan, TF., Merrick, C. and Kwok, CK., 2021 (Accepted for publication). G-quadruplex RNA motifs influence gene expression in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum Nucleic Acids Research,

2020 (Accepted for publication)

Merrick, C. and Gage, H., 2020 (Accepted for publication). Conserved associations between G-quadruplex-forming DNA motifs and virulence gene families in malaria parasites BMC Genomics,
Doi: http://doi.org/10.21203/rs.2.17995/v3

Merrick, C., 2020 (Accepted for publication). Hypnozoites in Plasmodium: Do Parasites Parallel Plants? Trends in Parasitology,

2019 (Accepted for publication)

Dumetz, F. and Merrick, C., 2019 (Accepted for publication). Parasitic protozoa: unusual roles for G-quadruplexes in early-diverging eukaryotes Molecules,

2018 (Accepted for publication)

Merrick, CJ., 2018 (Accepted for publication). RecQ helicases in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum affect genome stability, gene expression patterns and DNA replication dynamics PLoS Genetics,

2018

Merrick, CJ., 2018. ATAC-ing Transcriptional Mysteries in Malaria Parasites. Cell Host Microbe, v. 23
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2018.03.016

Matthews, H., Duffy, CW. and Merrick, CJ., 2018. Checks and balances? DNA replication and the cell cycle in Plasmodium. Parasit Vectors, v. 11
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-2800-1

2017 (Accepted for publication)

Merrick, CJ., 2017 (Accepted for publication). G-quadruplex DNA motifs in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and their potential as novel antimalarial drug targets. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy,
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.01828-17

2017

Stanojcic, S., Kuk, N., Ullah, I., Sterkers, Y. and Merrick, CJ., 2017. Single-molecule analysis reveals that DNA replication dynamics vary across the course of schizogony in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Sci Rep, v. 7
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04407-z

Merrick, CJ., 2017. Plasmodium falciparum Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, v. 1
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1042/etls20170099

Kwok, CK. and Merrick, CJ., 2017. G-Quadruplexes: Prediction, Characterization, and Biological Application. Trends Biotechnol, v. 35
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.06.012

2016

Jordan, A., Jacques, M., Merrick, C., Devos, J., Forsyth, VT., Porcar, L. and Martel, A., 2016. SEC-SANS: size exclusion chromatography combined in situ with small-angle neutron scattering. J Appl Crystallogr, v. 49
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576716016514

Stanton, A., Harris, LM., Graham, G. and Merrick, CJ., 2016. Recombination events among virulence genes in malaria parasites are associated with G-quadruplex-forming DNA motifs. BMC Genomics, v. 17
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-016-3183-3

2015

Merrick, CJ., Jiang, RHY., Skillman, KM., Samarakoon, U., Moore, RM., Dzikowski, R., Ferdig, MT. and Duraisingh, MT., 2015. Functional analysis of sirtuin genes in multiple Plasmodium falciparum strains. PLoS One, v. 10
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118865

Merrick, CJ., 2015. Transfection with thymidine kinase permits bromodeoxyuridine labelling of DNA replication in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Malar J, v. 14
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-015-1014-7

Harris, LM. and Merrick, CJ., 2015. G-quadruplexes in pathogens: a common route to virulence control? PLoS Pathog, v. 11
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1004562

2013

Hasenkamp, S., Merrick, CJ. and Horrocks, P., 2013. A quantitative analysis of Plasmodium falciparum transfection using DNA-loaded erythrocytes. Mol Biochem Parasitol, v. 187
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.molbiopara.2013.01.001

2012

Merrick, CJ., Huttenhower, C., Buckee, C., Amambua-Ngwa, A., Gomez-Escobar, N., Walther, M., Conway, DJ. and Duraisingh, MT., 2012. Epigenetic dysregulation of virulence gene expression in severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria. J Infect Dis, v. 205
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jis239

Merrick, CJ., Huttenhower, C., Buckee, C., Amambua-Ngwa, A., Gomez-Escobar, N., Walther, M., Conway, DJ. and Duraisingh, MT., 2012. Epigenetic Dysregulation of Virulence Gene Expression in Severe <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Malaria (vol 205, pg 1593, 2012) JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, v. 206
Doi: 10.1093/infdis/jis370

2010

Merrick, CJ. and Duraisingh, MT., 2010. Epigenetics in Plasmodium: what do we really know? Eukaryot Cell, v. 9
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1128/EC.00093-10

Merrick, CJ., Dzikowski, R., Imamura, H., Chuang, J., Deitsch, K. and Duraisingh, MT., 2010. The effect of Plasmodium falciparum Sir2a histone deacetylase on clonal and longitudinal variation in expression of the var family of virulence genes. Int J Parasitol, v. 40
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2009.06.012

2007

Merrick, CJ. and Duraisingh, MT., 2007. Plasmodium falciparum Sir2: an unusual sirtuin with dual histone deacetylase and ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. Eukaryot Cell, v. 6
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1128/EC.00114-07

2006

Merrick, CJ. and Duraisingh, MT., 2006. Heterochromatin-mediated control of virulence gene expression. Mol Microbiol, v. 62
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2006.05397.x

2005

Rowland, O., Ludwig, AA., Merrick, CJ., Baillieul, F., Tracy, FE., Durrant, WE., Fritz-Laylin, L., Nekrasov, V., Sjölander, K., Yoshioka, H. and Jones, JDG., 2005. Functional analysis of Avr9/Cf-9 rapidly elicited genes identifies a protein kinase, ACIK1, that is essential for full Cf-9-dependent disease resistance in tomato. Plant Cell, v. 17
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.104.026013

2004

Merrick, CJ., Jackson, D. and Diffley, JFX., 2004. Visualization of altered replication dynamics after DNA damage in human cells. J Biol Chem, v. 279
Doi: http://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M400022200