Comparative genomic analysis of three Leishmania species that cause diverse human disease.
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.
Peacock
Christopher S
CS
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK. csp@sanger.ac.uk
Seeger
Kathy
K
Harris
David
D
Murphy
Lee
L
Ruiz
Jeronimo C
JC
Quail
Michael A
MA
Peters
Nick
N
Adlem
Ellen
E
Tivey
Adrian
A
Aslett
Martin
M
Kerhornou
Arnaud
A
Ivens
Alasdair
A
Fraser
Audrey
A
Rajandream
Marie-Adele
MA
Carver
Tim
T
Norbertczak
Halina
H
Chillingworth
Tracey
T
Hance
Zahra
Z
Jagels
Kay
K
Moule
Sharon
S
Ormond
Doug
D
Rutter
Simon
S
Squares
Rob
R
Whitehead
Sally
S
Rabbinowitsch
Ester
E
Arrowsmith
Claire
C
White
Brian
B
Thurston
Scott
S
Bringaud
Frédéric
F
Baldauf
Sandra L
SL
Faulconbridge
Adam
A
Jeffares
Daniel
D
Depledge
Daniel P
DP
Oyola
Samuel O
SO
Hilley
James D
JD
Brito
Loislene O
LO
Tosi
Luiz R O
LR
Barrell
Barclay
B
Cruz
Angela K
AK
Mottram
Jeremy C
JC
Smith
Deborah F
DF
Berriman
Matthew
M
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