Draft genome sequence of the sexually transmitted pathogen Trichomonas vaginalis

• Authors: CARLTON Jane; HIRT R.P.; SILVA J.C.; DELCHER A.L.; SCHATZ M.; ZHAO Q.; WORTMAN J.R.; BIDWELL S.L.; ALSMARK U.C.; BESTEIRO S.; SICHERITZ-PONTEN T.; NOEL C.J.; DACKS J.B.; FOSTER P.G.; SIMILLION C.; VAN DE PEER Y.; MIRANDA-SAAVEDRA D.; BARTON G.J.; WESTROP G.D.; MULLER S.; DESSI D.; FIORI P.L.; REN Q.; PAULSEN I.; ZHANG H.; BASTIDA-CORCUERA F.D.; SIMOES-BARBOSA A.; BROWN M.T.; HAYES R.; MUKHERJEE M.; OKUMURA C.Y.; SCHNEIDER R.; SMITH A.J.; VAŇÁČOVÁ Štěpánka; VILLALVAZO M.; HAAS B.J.; PERTEA M.; FELDBLYUM T.; UTTERBACK T.R.; SHU Chung-Li; OSOEGAWA K.; DE JONG P.J.; HRDY Ivan; HORVATHOVA Lenka; ZUBACOVA Zuzana; DOLEZAL Pavel; MALIK S.B.; LOGSDON J.Jr.; HENZE K.; GUPTA A.; WANG C.C.; DUNNE R.L.; UPCROFT J.A.; UPCROFT Peter; WHITE Owen; SALZBERG S.L.; TANG P.; CHIU Cheng-Hsun; LEE Ying-Shiung; EMBLEY T.M.; COOMBS G.H.; MOTTRAM J.C.; TACHEZY Jan; FRASER-LIGGETT C.; JOHNSON Patricia J.
• Year of publication: 2007
• Type: Article in Periodical
• Magazine / Source: Science
• MU Faculty or unit: Faculty of Science
• Field: Genetics and molecular biology
• Keywords: Trichomonas; genome; protozoa; transposon elements; hydrogenosome: mitochondria
• Description: We describe the genome sequence of the protist Trichomonas vaginalis, a sexually transmitted human pathogen. Repeats and transposable elements comprise about two-thirds of the ~160-megabase genome, reflecting a recent massive expansion of genetic material. This expansion, in conjunction with the shaping of metabolic pathways that likely transpired through lateral gene transfer from bacteria, and amplification of specific gene families implicated in pathogenesis and phagocytosis of host proteins may exemplify adaptations of the parasite during its transition to a urogenital environment. The genome sequence predicts previously unknown functions for the hydrogenosome, which support a common evolutionary origin of this unusual organelle with mitochondria.

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