Genome sequence of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
- PMID: 12368864
- PMCID: PMC3836256
- DOI: 10.1038/nature01097
Genome sequence of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
Abstract
The parasite Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for hundreds of millions of cases of malaria, and kills more than one million African children annually. Here we report an analysis of the genome sequence of P. falciparum clone 3D7. The 23-megabase nuclear genome consists of 14 chromosomes, encodes about 5,300 genes, and is the most (A + T)-rich genome sequenced to date. Genes involved in antigenic variation are concentrated in the subtelomeric regions of the chromosomes. Compared to the genomes of free-living eukaryotic microbes, the genome of this intracellular parasite encodes fewer enzymes and transporters, but a large proportion of genes are devoted to immune evasion and host-parasite interactions. Many nuclear-encoded proteins are targeted to the apicoplast, an organelle involved in fatty-acid and isoprenoid metabolism. The genome sequence provides the foundation for future studies of this organism, and is being exploited in the search for new drugs and vaccines to fight malaria.
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Comment in
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What difference does a genome make?Nature. 2002 Oct 3;419(6906):426-8. doi: 10.1038/419426a. Nature. 2002. PMID: 12368829 No abstract available.
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Integrated programme is key to malaria control.Nature. 2002 Oct 3;419(6906):431. doi: 10.1038/419431a. Nature. 2002. PMID: 12368831 No abstract available.
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The Plasmodium genome database.Nature. 2002 Oct 3;419(6906):490-2. doi: 10.1038/419490a. Nature. 2002. PMID: 12368860 No abstract available.
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The grand assault.Nature. 2002 Oct 3;419(6906):493-4. doi: 10.1038/419493a. Nature. 2002. PMID: 12368861 No abstract available.
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Biological revelations.Nature. 2002 Oct 3;419(6906):495-6. doi: 10.1038/419495a. Nature. 2002. PMID: 12368862 No abstract available.
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Malaria--there could be a third way.Nature. 2003 Jan 2;421(6918):13. doi: 10.1038/421013b. Nature. 2003. PMID: 12511928 No abstract available.
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