Molecular evolution and phylogenetics of rodent malaria parasites

Abstract

BackgroundOver the last 6 decades, rodent Plasmodium species have become key model systems for understanding the basic biology of malaria parasites. Cell and molecular parasitology have made much progress in identifying genes underpinning interactions between malaria parasites, hosts, and vectors. However, little attention has been paid to the evolutionary genetics of parasites, which provides context for identifying potential therapeutic targets and for understanding the selective forces shaping parasites in natural populations. Additionally, understanding the relationships between species, subspecies, and strains, is necessary to maximize the utility of rodent malaria parasites as medically important infectious disease models, and for investigating the evolution of host-parasite interactions.ResultsHere, we collected multi-locus sequence data from 58 rodent malaria genotypes distributed throughout 13 subspecies belonging to P. berghei, P. chabaudi, P. vinckei, and P. yoelii. We employ multi-locus methods to infer the subspecies phylogeny, and use population-genetic approaches to elucidate the selective patterns shaping the evolution of these organisms. Our results reveal a time-line for the evolution of rodent Plasmodium and suggest that all the subspecies are independently evolving lineages (i.e. species). We show that estimates of species-level polymorphism are inflated if subspecies are not explicitly recognized, and detect purifying selection at most loci.ConclusionsOur work resolves previous inconsistencies in the phylogeny of rodent malaria parasites, provides estimates of important parameters that relate to the parasite’s natural history and provides a much-needed evolutionary context for understanding diverse biological aspects from the cross-reactivity of immune responses to parasite mating patterns.

Malarial parasite diversity in chimpanzees: the value of comparative approaches to ascertain the evolution of Plasmodium falciparum antigens

“…This falls within the level of polymorphism observed in recognizable species such as P. vivax and P. falciparum . However, the average genetic distance between P. billbrayi and P. gaboni (0.0181 ± 0.0015 for the complete mtDNA, see Table  1), was comparable to the divergence observed between P. vivax and Plasmodium cynomolgi (0.0118 ± 0.0016, Table  1) and the one found among rodent malarias [25,53]. Furthermore, the average divergence estimated between the so-called Plasmodium sp .…”

Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Prophylaxis During Live Malaria Sporozoite Immunization Induces Long-Lived, Homologous, and Heterologous Protective Immunity Against Sporozoite Challenge

“…Mice were challenged with homologous P. yoelii 17XNL strains unless otherwise described, in which case they were challenged with P. yoelii P265BY, which is genetically different from P. yoelii 17XNL [25], or with P. berghei ANKA [26].…”

A Review of Plasmodium coatneyi–Macaque Models of Severe Malaria

“…42,63,90 Unique plasmodium-vertebrate interactions continue to be discovered in reptiles and birds. 38,45,49,85,87,120 The earliest genetic evidence of a malaria plasmodium, dated at approximately 30 million years ago, was obtained through the extraction of DNA from mosquitoes fossilized in amber from the Paleogene period.…”