PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Shiwei Liu
AU  - Adam C. Huckaby
AU  - Audrey C. Brown
AU  - Christopher C. Moore
AU  - Ian Burbulis
AU  - Michael J. McConnell
AU  - Jennifer L. Güler
TI  - Single cell sequencing of the small and AT-skewed genome of malaria parasites
AID  - 10.1101/2020.02.21.960039
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2020.02.21.960039
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/06/21/2020.02.21.960039.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/06/21/2020.02.21.960039.full
AB  - Single cell genomics is a rapidly advancing field; however, most techniques are designed for mammalian cells. Here, we present a single cell sequencing pipeline for the intracellular parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, which harbors a relatively small genome with an extremely skewed base content. Through optimization of a quasi-linear genome amplification method, we achieve better targeting of the parasite genome over contaminants and generate coverage levels that allow detection of relatively small copy number variations on a single cell level. These improvements are important for expanding accessibility of single cell approaches to new organisms and for improving the study of adaptive mechanisms.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.