Comparative 3D genome organization in apicomplexan parasites

Significance

From yeast to human cells, genome organization in eukaryotes has a tight relationship with gene expression. We investigated the 3D organization of chromosomes in malaria parasites to identify possible connections between genome architecture and pathogenicity. Genome organization was dominated by the clustering of Plasmodium-specific gene families in 3D space. In particular, the two most pathogenic human malaria parasites shared unique features in the organization of gene families involved in antigenic variation and immune escape. Related human parasites Babesia microtiand Toxoplasma gondii that are less virulent lacked the correlation between gene expression and genome organization observed in human Plasmodium species. Our results suggest that genome organization in malaria parasites has been shaped by parasite-specific gene families and correlates with virulence.

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