Plasmodium malariae and P. ovale genomes provide insights into malaria parasite evolution

Rutledge, G. G. et al. (2017) Plasmodium malariae and P. ovale genomes provide insights into malaria parasite evolution. Nature, 542(7639), pp. 101-104. (doi: 10.1038/nature21038) (PMID:28117441) (PMCID:PMC5326575)

Abstract

Elucidation of the evolutionary history and interrelatedness of Plasmodium species that infect humans has been hampered by a lack of genetic information for three human-infective species: P. malariae and two P. ovale species (P. o. curtisi and P. o. wallikeri). These species are prevalent across most regions in which malaria is endemic and are often undetectable by light microscopy, rendering their study in human populations difficult. The exact evolutionary relationship of these species to the other human-infective species has been contested. Using a new reference genome for P. malariae and a manually curated draft P. o. curtisi genome, we are now able to accurately place these species within the Plasmodium phylogeny. Sequencing of a P. malariae relative that infects chimpanzees reveals similar signatures of selection in the P. malariae lineage to another Plasmodium lineage shown to be capable of colonization of both human and chimpanzee hosts. Molecular dating suggests that these host adaptations occurred over similar evolutionary timescales. In addition to the core genome that is conserved between species, differences in gene content can be linked to their specific biology. The genome suggests that P. malariae expresses a family of heterodimeric proteins on its surface that have structural similarities to a protein crucial for invasion of red blood cells. The data presented here provide insight into the evolution of the Plasmodium genus as a whole.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (MR/J004111/1; MR/L008661/1) and the Wellcome Trust (098051). S.A. and R.N.P. are funded by the Wellcome Trust (091625). F.R., B.O. and F.P. are financed by the ANR JCJC 2012 ORIGIN, the LMI Zofac, as well as by CNRS, IRD, and CIRMF. C.I.N. is funded by a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award (104792/Z/14/Z). A.A.D. is funded as a Sanger International Fellow. J.S.M. and N.M.A. are supported by NHMRC Practitioner Fellowships (1041802; 1042072).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Otto, Professor Thomas and Cotton, Professor James
• Authors: Rutledge, G. G., Böhme, U., Sanders, M., Reid, A. J., Cotton, J. A., Maiga-Ascofare, O., Djimdé, A. A., Apinjoh, T. O., Amenga-Etego, L., Manske, M., Barnwell, J. W., Renaud, F., Ollomo, B., Prugnolle, F., Anstey, N. M., Auburn, S., Price, R. N., McCarthy, J. S., Kwiatkowski, D. P., Newbold, C. I., Berriman, M., and Otto, T. D.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Nature
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• ISSN: 0028-0836
• ISSN (Online): 1476-4687
• Published Online: 25 January 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature
• First Published: First published in Nature 542(7639): 101-104
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license