title: Plasmodium malariae and P. ovale genomes provide insights into malaria parasite evolution.
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.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Gavin G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Rutledge
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Böhme
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Adam J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Science, Techniques, and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako BP E.2528, Mali.|German Center for Infection Research, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Oumou
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Maiga-Ascofare
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.|Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Science, Techniques, and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako BP E.2528, Mali.
authors.forename: Abdoulaye A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Djimdé
authors.affiliation: University of Buea, Post Office Box 63, Buea, South West Region, Republic of Cameroon.
authors.forename: Tobias O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Apinjoh
authors.affiliation: Navrongo Health Research Centre, Post Office Box 114, Navrongo, Upper East Region, Ghana.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amenga-Etego
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manske
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Barnwell
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire MIVEGEC (UM1-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, BP 709 Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ollomo
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire MIVEGEC (UM1-CNRS-IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France.|Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, BP 709 Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prugnolle
authors.affiliation: Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory 0810, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicholas M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Anstey
authors.affiliation: Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory 0810, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Auburn
authors.affiliation: Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory 0810, Australia.|Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK.
authors.forename: Ric N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Clinical Tropical Medicine Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4006, Australia.
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.|Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
authors.forename: Dominic P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kwiatkowski
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.|Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK.
authors.forename: Chris I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Newbold
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berriman
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Otto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics*; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology*; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000469:parasitology; D010802:Phylogeny; D010965:Plasmodium malariae / Q000235:genetics*; D041122:Plasmodium ovale / Q000235:genetics*