For construction of an eIF-5A cDNA containing pcDNA3 vector, the eIF-5A nucleic acid sequence was amplified from a recombinant plasmid pSTBlue-1 Acceptor™ vector (Novagen, Darmstadt, Germany) with primers containing EcoRI eIF-5Aforward 5’ -AAA GAA TTC ATG TCA GAC CAC GAA AC-3’ and NotI eIF-5Areverse 5’-TTT GCG GCC GCC TAG GAG GAC AAC TCC-3’ restriction sites. Cotransfection of pSilencer1.0-U6 vectors into 293 T cells In a 6 well microtiter plate 7×105 293T cells were seeded in all 6 wells. Four

different sets of cotransfections were performed: DHS; i) P. falciparum dhs cDNA in pcDNA3 (0.3 μg), ii) P. falciparum dhs cDNA in pcDNA3 and premade scramble II duplex negative control siRNA (1.0 μg), iii) P. falciparum dhs cDNA in pc DNA3 and DHS- specific shRNA construct #43 (1.0 μg), iv) P. falciparum dhs cDNA in Blasticidin S cell line pcDNA3 and DHS-specific shRNA construct #176 (1.0 μg). The various transfections were mixed with transfection mix (total vol. 400 μl), which contained Opti-MEM® (Invitrogen, Tariquidar molecular weight Karlsruhe, Germany) and polyethylenimine

(PEI) (4 μl/μg), and were added to the cultures. After 10 min of incubation at room temperature, the culture supernatants were substituted by 2 ml of DMEM (Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium) (Invitrogen, Karlsruhe, Germany) and the cell cultures were incubated overnight at 37°C. The next day, medium was changed and supplemented with streptomycin (60 μg/ml). Prior to transfection, the cells were washed with PBS-buffer (phosphate buffer saline). Cotransfection of P. falciparum eIF-5A pcDNA3-based Methocarbamol expression vector in combination with 4 different sets of siRNA vectors was performed according to a protocol from Invitrogen (Karlsruhe, Germany): i) P. falciparum eIF-5A expression vector (0.3 μg) and aquaporin-5 specific-siRNA (2.7 μg) ii) P. falciparum eIF-5A expression vector (0.3 μg) and eIF-5A-specific shRNA construct #18 (2.7 μg), iii) P. falciparum eIF5A expression vector (0.3 μg) and eIF-5A-specific shRNA #6 (2.7 μg), iv) P. falciparum eIF-5A expression vector (0.3 μg) and eIF-5A shRNA construct #7 (2.7 μg), v) P. falciparum eIF-5A expression vector (0.3 μg)

and eIF-5A shRNA #5 (2.7 μg). Isolation of cellular RNA Isolation of total cellular RNA was performed according to the RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). The quality of the isolated RNA was verfied by agarose gel electrophoresis and the quantity and purity was determined by UV spectrometry. RT-PCR analysis of eIF-5A and DHS silencing in vitro and in vivo To monitor the silencing of eIF-5A and DHS, RT-PCR was performed according to a protocol from the AccessQuick™ RT-PCR System (Promega, SYN-117 research buy Mannheim, Germany). For the RT-PCR reaction gene specific primers for eIF-5Aforward 5’-ATGTCAGACCACGAAACGT-3’/eIF-5A reverse 5’-CTAGGAGGACAACTCCTTCACCGC- 3’ and dhs forward 5’-ATAGTGCCTAATGATAATTA -3’/dhs reverse 5’-AACCTCCTCCGAGAATAATAATACCAG -3’ were used.