The Genome of the Kinetoplastid Parasite, <i>Leishmania major</i>
Alasdair Ivens(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Christopher S. Peacock(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Elizabeth A. Worthey(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Lee Murphy(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Gautam Aggarwal(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Matthew Berriman(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Ellen Sisk(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Marie‐Adèle Rajandream(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Ellen Adlem(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Rita Aert(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Atashi Anupama(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Zina Apostolou(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Philip Attipoe(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Nathalie Bason(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Christopher Bauser(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Alfred Beck(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Stephen M. Beverley(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Gabriella Bianchettin(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Katja Borzym(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Gordana Bothe(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Carlo V. Bruschi(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Matt Collins(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Eithon Cadag(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Laura Ciarloni(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Christine Clayton(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Richard Coulson(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Ann Cronin(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Ângela K. Cruz(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Robert M. Davies(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Javier De Gaudenzi(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Deborah E. Dobson(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Andreas Duesterhoeft(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Gholam Fazelina(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Nigel Fosker(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Alberto C.C. Frasch(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Audrey Fraser(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Monika Fuchs(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Claudia Gabel(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Arlette Goble(Center for Infectious Disease Research), AndreÌ Goffeau(Center for Infectious Disease Research), David Harris(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Christiane Hertz‐Fowler(Center for Infectious Disease Research), H. Hilbert(Center for Infectious Disease Research), David Horn(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Yiting Huang(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Sven Klages(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Andrew Knights(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Michael Kube(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Natasha Larke(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Lyudmila Litvin(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Angela Lord(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Tin Louie(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Marco A. Marra(BC Cancer Agency), David Masuy(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Keith R. Matthews(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Shulamit Michaeli(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Jeremy C. Mottram(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Silke MuÌller-Auer(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Heather Munden(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Siri Nelson(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Halina Norbertczak(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Karen Oliver(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Susan O’Neil(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Martin Pentony(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Thomas Pohl(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Claire Price(Center for Infectious Disease Research), BeÌneÌdicte Purnelle(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Michael A. Quail(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Ester Rabbinowitsch(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Richard Reinhardt(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Michael A. Rieger(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Joel Rinta(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Johan Robben(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Laura Robertson(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Jerônimo C. Ruiz(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Simon Rutter(Center for Infectious Disease Research), David Saunders(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Melanie SchaÌfer(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Jacquie Schein(BC Cancer Agency), David C. Schwartz(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Kathy Seeger(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Amber Seyler(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Sarah Sharp(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Heesun Shin(BC Cancer Agency), Dhileep Sivam(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Rob Squares(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Steve Squares(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Valentina Tosato(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Christy Vogt(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Guido Volckaert(Center for Infectious Disease Research), R. Wambutt(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Tim Warren(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Holger Wedler(Center for Infectious Disease Research), John R. Woodward(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Shiguo Zhou(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Wolfgang Zimmermann(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Deborah F. Smith(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Jenefer M. Blackwell(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Kenneth Stuart(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Bart Barrell(Center for Infectious Disease Research), Peter J. Myler(Center for Infectious Disease Research)
Cited by 1,360Open Access
Abstract
Leishmania species cause a spectrum of human diseases in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. We have sequenced the 36 chromosomes of the 32.8-megabase haploid genome of Leishmania major (Friedlin strain) and predict 911 RNA genes, 39 pseudogenes, and 8272 protein-coding genes, of which 36% can be ascribed a putative function. These include genes involved in host-pathogen interactions, such as proteolytic enzymes, and extensive machinery for synthesis of complex surface glycoconjugates. The organization of protein-coding genes into long, strand-specific, polycistronic clusters and lack of general transcription factors in the L. major, Trypanosoma brucei, and Trypanosoma cruzi (Tritryp) genomes suggest that the mechanisms regulating RNA polymerase II-directed transcription are distinct from those operating in other eukaryotes, although the trypanosomatids appear capable of chromatin remodeling. Abundant RNA-binding proteins are encoded in the Tritryp genomes, consistent with active posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression.