Whole-genome sequencing of a Toxoplasma gondii strain from a Turkish isolate using next-generation sequencing technology

Yücesan, Banuçiçek; Güldemir, Dilek; Babür, Cahit; Kılıç, Selçuk; Çakmak, Ayşe

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105907

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…differing in from the host in GC content, may not represent a large enough proportion of an assembly to merit further investigation. The largest genomes of sequenced species, Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora canum , are only 70 megabases in length (12,13), and many species have genomes totaling less than 10 megabases (14,15). With metazoan genomes typically ranging from hundreds of megabases to several gigabases, these Apicomplexan genomes are all < 10% but typically closer to 1% the size of their hosts’ genomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome sequence ofOphryocystis elektroscirrha, an apicomplexan parasite of monarch butterflies: cryptic diversity and response to host-sequestered plant chemicals

Mongue¹,

Martin²,

Manweiler³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Apicomplexa are ancient and diverse organisms which have been poorly characterized by modern genomics. To better understand the evolution and diversity of these single-celled eukaryotes, we sequenced the genome of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, a parasite of monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus. The genome is miniscule, totaling only 9 million bases and containing fewer than 3,000 genes. We then compared this new sequence to the two other sequenced invertebrate-infecting apicomplexans, Porospora gigantea and Gregarina niphandrodes, which have nearly twice the gene content and found that O. elektroscirrha shares different orthologs with each sequenced relative, suggesting the true set of universally conserved apicomplexan genes is very small indeed. We investigated sequenced reads from other potential hosts to explore the viability of in silico infection screening. We recovered a similarly sized parasite genome from another butterfly, Danaus chrysippus, that was highly diverged from the O. elektroscirrha reference, possibly representing a distinct species. Using these two new genomes, we investigated potential evolutionary response by parasites to toxic phytochemicals their hosts ingest and sequester. Monarch butterflies are well-known to tolerate toxic cardenolides thanks to changes in the sequence of their Type II ATPase sodium pumps. We show that Ophryocystis completely lacks Type II or Type 4 sodium pumps, and related proteins PMCA calcium pumps show extreme sequence divergence compared to other Apicomplexa, demonstrating new avenues of research opened by genome sequencing of non-model Apicomplexa.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome sequence ofOphryocystis elektroscirrha, an apicomplexan parasite of monarch butterflies: cryptic diversity and response to host-sequestered plant chemicals

Mongue¹,

Martin²,

Manweiler³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Genomic studies of Apicomplexa have sequenced genomes that range from roughly 130 million bases on the high end [ 4 ] to a mere 9 million bases [ 5 ]; in other words, all Apicomplexa have small genomes compared to metazoans, but their genome sizes vary by an order of magnitude at least. Similarly, the gene content in these genomes is highly variable, from roughly 9,000 genes in T. gondii [ 6 ] to only 4,000 in the bovine parasite Theileria orientalis [ 7 ], a more than two-fold difference in gene content. However, with many unknowns about the genomics of apicomplexans that parasitize other vertebrates (see Levine 1986 for numerous examples) or invertebrates [ 9 , 10 ], the overall patterns of genome size, gene content, and conservation of these features are open questions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome sequence of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, an apicomplexan parasite of monarch butterflies: cryptic diversity and response to host-sequestered plant chemicals

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Apicomplexa are ancient and diverse organisms which have been poorly characterized by modern genomics. To better understand the evolution and diversity of these single-celled eukaryotes, we sequenced the genome of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, a parasite of monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus. We contextualize our newly generated resources within apicomplexan genomics before answering longstanding questions specific to this host-parasite system. To start, the genome is miniscule, totaling only 9 million bases and containing fewer than 3,000 genes, half the gene content of two other sequenced invertebrate-infecting apicomplexans, Porospora gigantea and Gregarina niphandrodes. We found that O. elektroscirrha shares different orthologs with each sequenced relative, suggesting the true set of universally conserved apicomplexan genes is very small indeed. Next, we show that sequencing data from other potential host butterflies can be used to diagnose infection status as well as to study diversity of parasite sequences. We recovered a similarly sized parasite genome from another butterfly, Danaus chrysippus, that was highly diverged from the O. elektroscirrha reference, possibly representing a distinct species. Using these two new genomes, we investigated potential evolutionary response by parasites to toxic phytochemicals their hosts ingest and sequester. Monarch butterflies are well-known to tolerate toxic cardenolides thanks to changes in the sequence of their Type II ATPase sodium pumps. We show that Ophryocystis completely lacks Type II or Type 4 sodium pumps, and related proteins PMCA calcium pumps show extreme sequence divergence compared to other Apicomplexa, demonstrating new avenues of research opened by genome sequencing of non-model Apicomplexa.

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Investigation of the effects of Toxoplasma gondii on behavioral and molecular mechanism in bradyzoite stage

Akcay,

Bahadir,

Tatar

et al. 2024

Brain Research

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Whole-genome sequencing of a Toxoplasma gondii strain from a Turkish isolate using next-generation sequencing technology

Cited by 4 publications

References 27 publications

Genome sequence ofOphryocystis elektroscirrha, an apicomplexan parasite of monarch butterflies: cryptic diversity and response to host-sequestered plant chemicals

Genome sequence ofOphryocystis elektroscirrha, an apicomplexan parasite of monarch butterflies: cryptic diversity and response to host-sequestered plant chemicals

Genome sequence of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, an apicomplexan parasite of monarch butterflies: cryptic diversity and response to host-sequestered plant chemicals

Investigation of the effects of Toxoplasma gondii on behavioral and molecular mechanism in bradyzoite stage

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