Annotation and characterization of Babesia gibsoni apicoplast genome
Open Access
- 21 April 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Parasites & Vectors
- Vol. 13 (1), 1-10
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04065-7
Abstract
Babesia gibsoni is an apicomplexan parasite transmitted by ticks, which can infect canine species and cause babesiosis. The apicoplast is an organelle associated with isoprenoids metabolism, is widely present in apicomplexan parasites, except for Cryptosporidium. Available data indicate that the apicoplast is essential for the survival of apicomplexan parasites. Here, the apicoplast genome of B. gibsoni was investigated by high-throughput genome sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, and conventional PCR. The apicoplast genome of B. gibsoni-Wuhan strain (B. gibsoni-WH) consists of a 28.4 kb circular molecule, with A + T content of 86.33%, similar to that of B. microti. Specifically, this genome encodes genes involved in maintenance of the apicoplast DNA, transcription, translation and maturation of organellar proteins, which contains 2 subunits of ribosomal RNAs, 17 ribosomal proteins, 1 EF-Tu elongation factor (tufA), 5 DNA-dependent RNA polymerase beta subunits, 2 Clp protease chaperones, 23 tRNA genes and 5 unknown open reading frames (hypothetical proteins). Phylogenetic analysis revealed high similarity of B. gibsoni apicoplast genome to that of B. orientalis and B. bovis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of annotation and characterization of B. gibsoni-WH apicoplast genome. The results will facilitate the development of new anti-Babesia drug targets.Keywords
This publication has 39 references indexed in Scilit:
- Chemical Rescue of Malaria Parasites Lacking an Apicoplast Defines Organelle Function in Blood-Stage Plasmodium falciparumPLoS Biology, 2011
- The apicoplastProtoplasma, 2010
- A common red algal origin of the apicomplexan, dinoflagellate, and heterokont plastidsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2010
- Strange organelles –Plasmodium mitochondria lack a pyruvate dehydrogenase complexMolecular Microbiology, 2004
- Genome sequence of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparumNature, 2002
- Mining thePlasmodiumgenome database to define organellar function: what does the apicoplast do?Philosophical Transactions B, 2002
- There are at least three genetically distinct small piroplasms from dogsInternational Journal for Parasitology, 2000
- Complete Gene Map of the Plastid-like DNA of the Malaria ParasitePlasmodium falciparumJournal of Molecular Biology, 1996
- Existence of nuclear‐encoded 5S‐rRNA in bovine mitochondriaFEBS Letters, 1994
- Plastid origin of an extrachromosomal DNA molecule from Plasmodium, the causative agent of MalariaJournal of Theoretical Biology, 1992