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Title: Comparative sequence analysis of Toxoplasma gondii reveals local genomic admixture drives concerted expansion and diversification of secreted pathogenesis determinants

Author
item LORENZI, H - J Craig Venter Institute
item KHAN, A - Washington University School Of Medicine
item BEHNKE, M - Washington University School Of Medicine
item LIU, L - University Of Georgia
item NAMASIVAYAM, S - University Of Georgia
item SESHADRI, S - University Of Toronto
item HADJITHOMAS, M - J Craig Venter Institute
item KARAMYCHEVA, S - J Craig Venter Institute
item PINNEY, D - University Of Pennsylvania
item BRUNK, B - University Of Pennsylvania
item AJIOKA, J - Cambridge University
item AZJENBERG, D - Hospital And University Center Of Limoges
item BOOTHROYD, J - Stanford University
item BOYLE, J - University Of Pittsburgh
item DARDE, M - Hospital And University Center Of Limoges
item Dubey, Jitender
item GRIGG, M - National Instiute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases (NIAID, NIH)
item HOWE, D - University Of Kentucky
item KIM, K - Albert Einstein Medical Center
item Rosenthal, Benjamin
item SAEIJ, J - Massachusetts Institute Of Technology
item SU, C - University Of Tennessee
item WHITE, M - University Of California
item ZHU, X - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item PARKINSON, J - University Of Toronto
item KISSINGER, J - University Of Georgia
item ROOS, D - University Of Pennsylvania
item SIBLEY, L - Washington University School Of Medicine

Submitted to: Nature Communications
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/9/2015
Publication Date: 1/7/2016
Citation: Lorenzi, H., Khan, A., Behnke, M.S., Liu, L., Namasivayam, S., Seshadri, S., Hadjithomas, M., Karamycheva, S., Pinney, D., Brunk, B., Ajioka, J., Azjenberg, D., Boothroyd, J.C., Boyle, J., Darde, M.L., Dubey, J.P., Grigg, M., Howe, D., Kim, K., Rosenthal, B.M., Saeij, J., Su, C.L., White, M., Zhu, X.Q., Parkinson, J., Kissinger, J.C., Roos, D.S., Sibley, L.D. 2016. Comparative sequence analysis of Toxoplasma gondii reveals local genomic admixture drives concerted expansion and diversification of secreted pathogenesis determinants. Nature Communications. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10147.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is among the most prevalent parasites worldwide, infecting many wild and domestic animals and causing zoonotic infections in humans. T. gondii differs substantially in its broad distribution from closely related parasites that typically have narrow, specialized host ranges. To understand this diversity, we compared the genomes of 62 globally diverse T. gondii isolates to several closely related apicomplexan parasites. Our findings reveal that the tandem amplification and allelic diversification of secretory pathogenesis determinants is the primary feature that distinguishes the closely related genomes of these biologically diverse parasites. We further show that the unusual population structure of T. gondii is characterized by co-ancestry of large chromosomal haploblocks, suggesting that conserved inheritance of tandemly clustered determinants drives evolution of transmission, host range, and pathogenicity of apicomplexans.