Searching across hundreds of databases

Our searching services are busy right now. Your search will reload in five seconds.

X
Forgot Password

If you have forgotten your password you can enter your email here and get a temporary password sent to your email.

X
Forgot Password

If you have forgotten your password you can enter your email here and get a temporary password sent to your email.

Ape parasite origins of human malaria virulence genes.

Nature communications | 2015

Antigens encoded by the var gene family are major virulence factors of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, exhibiting enormous intra- and interstrain diversity. Here we use network analysis to show that var architecture and mosaicism are conserved at multiple levels across the Laverania subgenus, based on var-like sequences from eight single-species and three multi-species Plasmodium infections of wild-living or sanctuary African apes. Using select whole-genome amplification, we also find evidence of multi-domain var structure and synteny in Plasmodium gaboni, one of the ape Laverania species most distantly related to P. falciparum, as well as a new class of Duffy-binding-like domains. These findings indicate that the modular genetic architecture and sequence diversity underlying var-mediated host-parasite interactions evolved before the radiation of the Laverania subgenus, long before the emergence of P. falciparum.

Pubmed ID: 26456841 RIS Download

Research resources used in this publication

None found

Antibodies used in this publication

None found

Associated grants

  • Agency: Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom
    Id: 090851
  • Agency: NIAID NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R37 AI050529
  • Agency: NIAID NIH HHS, United States
    Id: T32 AI007532
  • Agency: NIGMS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R21 GM100207
  • Agency: NIAID NIH HHS, United States
    Id: P30 AI045008
  • Agency: Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom
    Id: 095831
  • Agency: NIAID NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 AI091595
  • Agency: NIAID NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 AI058715
  • Agency: Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom

Publication data is provided by the National Library of Medicine ® and PubMed ®. Data is retrieved from PubMed ® on a weekly schedule. For terms and conditions see the National Library of Medicine Terms and Conditions.

This is a list of tools and resources that we have found mentioned in this publication.


Sequencher (tool)

RRID:SCR_001528

Software for Next-Generation DNA sequencing, Sanger DNA analysis, and RNA sequencing. It contains sequence analysis tools which include reference-guided alignments, de novo assembly, variant calling, and SNP analyses. It has integrated the Cufflinks suite for in-depth transcript analysis and differential gene expression of RNA-Seq data.

View all literature mentions

Augustus (tool)

RRID:SCR_008417

Software for gene prediction in eukaryotic genomic sequences. Serves as a basis for further steps in the analysis of sequenced and assembled eukaryotic genomes.

View all literature mentions

MUSCLE (tool)

RRID:SCR_011812

Multiple sequence alignment method with reduced time and space complexity.Multiple sequence alignment with high accuracy and high throughput. Data analysis service for multiple sequence comparison by log- expectation.

View all literature mentions

SeaView (tool)

RRID:SCR_015059

Graphical user interface for multiple sequence alignment and molecular phylogeny. SeaView also generates phylogenetic trees.

View all literature mentions