English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Background   Plasmodium falciparum  is the most malignant agent of human malaria. It belongs to the taxon Laverania, which includes other ape-infecting  Plasmodium  species. The origin of the Laverania is still debated.  P. falciparum  exports pathogenicity-related proteins into the host cell using the  Plasmodium  export element (PEXEL). Predictions based on the presence of a PEXEL motif suggest that more than 300 proteins are exported by  P. falciparum , while there are many fewer exported proteins in non-Laverania.    Results  A whole-genome approach was applied to resolve the phylogeny of eight  Plasmodium  species and four outgroup taxa. By using 218 orthologous proteins we received unanimous support for a sister group position of Laverania and avian malaria parasites. This observation was corroborated by the analyses of 28 exported proteins with orthologs present in all  Plasmodium  species. Most interestingly, several deviations from the  P. falciparum  PEXEL motif were found to be present in the orthologous sequences of non-Laverania.    Conclusion  Our phylogenomic analyses strongly support the hypotheses that the Laverania have been founded by a single  Plasmodium  species switching from birds to African great apes or  vice versa . The deviations from the canonical PEXEL motif in orthologs may explain the comparably low number of exported proteins that have been predicted in non-Laverania.

Phylogenomic analyses of malaria parasites and evolution of their exported proteins