title: Comparative genomic analysis of three Leishmania species that cause diverse human disease.
abstract: Leishmania parasites cause a broad spectrum of clinical disease. Here we report the sequencing of the genomes of two species of Leishmania: Leishmania infantum and Leishmania braziliensis. The comparison of these sequences with the published genome of Leishmania major reveals marked conservation of synteny and identifies only approximately 200 genes with a differential distribution between the three species. L. braziliensis, contrary to Leishmania species examined so far, possesses components of a putative RNA-mediated interference pathway, telomere-associated transposable elements and spliced leader-associated SLACS retrotransposons. We show that pseudogene formation and gene loss are the principal forces shaping the different genomes. Genes that are differentially distributed between the species encode proteins implicated in host-pathogen interactions and parasite survival in the macrophage.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK. csp@sanger.ac.uk
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seeger
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Jeronimo C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Quail
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Adlem
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tivey
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aslett
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kerhornou
authors.forename: Alasdair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ivens
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Marie-Adele
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rajandream
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Carver
authors.forename: Halina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Norbertczak
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chillingworth
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hance
authors.forename: Kay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jagels
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moule
authors.forename: Doug
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ormond
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rutter
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Squares
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Whitehead
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rabbinowitsch
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arrowsmith
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thurston
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bringaud
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Baldauf
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faulconbridge
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jeffares
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Depledge
authors.forename: Samuel O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Oyola
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Hilley
authors.forename: Loislene O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: Luiz R O
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Tosi
authors.forename: Barclay
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barrell
authors.forename: Angela K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Jeremy C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mottram
authors.forename: Deborah F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berriman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016678:Genome; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000235:genetics*; D007892:Leishmania braziliensis / Q000235:genetics; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000235:genetics; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000235:genetics; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000469:parasitology*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000469:parasitology; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000469:parasitology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data