PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Thomas D. Otto
AU  - Aude Gilabert
AU  - Thomas Crellen
AU  - Ulrike Böhme
AU  - Céline Arnathau
AU  - Mandy Sanders
AU  - Samuel Oyola
AU  - Alain Prince Okauga
AU  - Larson Boundenga
AU  - Eric Wuillaume
AU  - Barthélémy Ngoubangoye
AU  - Nancy Diamella Moukodoum
AU  - Christophe Paupy
AU  - Patrick Durand
AU  - Virginie Rougeron
AU  - Benjamin Ollomo
AU  - François Renaud
AU  - Chris Newbold
AU  - Matthew Berriman
AU  - Franck Prugnolle
TI  - Genomes of an entire <em>Plasmodium</em> subgenus reveal paths to virulent human malaria
AID  - 10.1101/095679
DP  - 2016 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 095679
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/12/20/095679.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/12/20/095679.full
AB  - Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent agent of human malaria, shares a recent common ancestor with the gorilla parasite P. praefalciparum. Although there are further gorilla and chimpanzee-infecting species in the same (Laverania) subgenus as P. falciparum, none are known to be able to establish repeated infection and transmission in humans. To elucidate underlying mechanisms and the evolutionary history of this subgenus, we have analysed multiple genomes from all known Laverania species. Here we estimate the timings of Laverania speciation events, placing P. falciparum speciation 40,000-60,000 years ago followed by a recent population bottleneck. We show that interspecific gene transfers as well as convergent evolution were important in the evolution of these species. Striking copy number and structural variations were observed within gene families and for the first time, features in P. falciparum are revealed that made it the only member of the Laverania able to infect and spread in humans.