Genomes of all known members of a Plasmodium subgenus reveal paths to virulent human malaria

Otto, T. D. et al. (2018) Genomes of all known members of a Plasmodium subgenus reveal paths to virulent human malaria. Nature Microbiology, 3, pp. 687-697. (doi: 10.1038/s41564-018-0162-2) (PMID:29784978)

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Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent agent of human malaria, shares a recent common ancestor with the gorilla parasite Plasmodium praefalciparum. Little is known about the other gorilla- and chimpanzee-infecting species in the same (Laverania) subgenus as P. falciparum, but none of them are capable of establishing repeated infection and transmission in humans. To elucidate underlying mechanisms and the evolutionary history of this subgenus, we have generated multiple genomes from all known Laverania species. The completeness of our dataset allows us to conclude that interspecific gene transfers, as well as convergent evolution, were important in the evolution of these species. Striking copy number and structural variations were observed within gene families and one, stevor, shows a host-specific sequence pattern. The complete genome sequence of the closest ancestor of P. falciparum enables us to estimate the timing of the beginning of speciation to be 40,000–60,000 years ago followed by a population bottleneck around 4,000–6,000 years ago. Our data allow us also to search in detail for the features of P. falciparum that made it the only member of the Laverania able to infect and spread in humans.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This work was funded by ANR ORIGIN JCJC 2012, LMI ZOFAC, CNRS, CIRMF, IRD, and the Wellcome Trust (grants WT 098051 and WT 206194 to the Sanger Institute, grant 104792/Z/14/Z to C.N.). T.C. holds an MRC DTP Studentship.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Otto, Professor Thomas
Authors: Otto, T. D., Gilabert, A., Crellen, T., Böhme, U., Arnathau, C., Sanders, M., Oyola, S. O., Okouga, A. P., Boundenga, L., Willaume, E., Ngoubangoye, B., Moukodoum, N. D., Paupy, C., Durand, P., Rougeron, V., Ollomo, B., Renaud, F., Newbold, C., Berriman, M., and Prugnolle, F.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
Journal Name:Nature Microbiology
Publisher:Nature Publishing Group
ISSN:2058-5276
ISSN (Online):2058-5276
Published Online:21 May 2018
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2018 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature
First Published:First published in Nature Microbiology 3:687-697
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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