Genomes of all known members of aPlasmodiumsubgenus reveal paths to virulent human malaria
Otto TD., Gilabert A., Crellen T., Böhme U., Arnathau C., Sanders M., Oyola S., Okouga AP., Boundenga L., Willaume E., Ngoubangoye B., Moukodoum ND., Paupy C., Durand P., Rougeron V., Ollomo B., Renaud F., Newbold C., Berriman M., Prugnolle F.
AbstractPlasmodium falciparum,the most virulent agent of human malaria, shares a recent common ancestor with the gorilla parasiteP. praefalciparum.Little is known about the other gorilla and chimpanzee-infecting species in the same (Laverania) subgenus asP. falciparumbut none of them are capable of establishing repeated infection and transmission in humans. To elucidate underlying mechanisms and the evolutionary history of this subgenus, we have generated multiple genomes from all knownLaveraniaspecies. The completeness of our dataset allows us to conclude that interspecific gene transfers as well as convergent evolution were important in the evolution of these species. Striking copy number and structural variations were observed within gene families and one,stevorshows a host specific sequence pattern. The complete genome sequence of the closest ancestor ofP. falciparumenables us to estimate confidently for the first time the timing of the beginning of speciation to be 40,000-60,000 years ago followed by a population bottleneck around 4,000-6,000 years ago. Our data allow us also to search in detail for the features ofP. falciparumthat made it the only member of theLaveraniaable to infect and spread in humans.