title: Genomics of apicomplexan parasites.
abstract: The increasing prevalence of infections involving intracellular apicomplexan parasites such as Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, and Cryptosporidium (the causative agents of malaria, toxoplasmosis, and cryptosporidiosis, respectively) represent a significant global healthcare burden. Despite their significance, few treatments are available; a situation that is likely to deteriorate with the emergence of new resistant strains of parasites. To lay the foundation for programs of drug discovery and vaccine development, genome sequences for many of these organisms have been generated, together with large-scale expression and proteomic datasets. Comparative analyses of these datasets are beginning to identify the molecular innovations supporting both conserved processes mediating fundamental roles in parasite survival and persistence, as well as lineage-specific adaptations associated with divergent life-cycle strategies. The challenge is how best to exploit these data to derive insights into parasite virulence and identify those genes representing the most amenable targets. In this review, we outline genomic datasets currently available for apicomplexans and discuss biological insights that have emerged as a consequence of their analysis. Of particular interest are systems-based resources, focusing on areas of metabolism and host invasion that are opening up opportunities for discovering new therapeutic targets.
authors.affiliation: a Program in Molecular Structure and Function , Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Lakshmipuram Seshadri
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Swapna
authors.affiliation: a Program in Molecular Structure and Function , Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.|b Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Genetics and Computer Science , University of Toronto , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parkinson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016782:Apicomplexa / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D018503:Genome, Protozoan / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000502:physiology*; D040901:Proteomics; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins
keywords: Metabolism; apicomplexan genomics; genomics of apicomplexan parasites; host cell modulation; host invasion; parasite genomics; systems-based approaches