RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Complete avian malaria parasite genomes reveal host-specific parasite evolution in birds and mammals JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 086504 DO 10.1101/086504 A1 Ulrike Böehme A1 Thomas D. Otto A1 James Cotton A1 Sascha Steinbiss A1 Mandy Sanders A1 Samuel O. Oyola A1 Antoine Nicot A1 Sylvain Gandon A1 Kailash P. Patra A1 Colin Herd A1 Ellen Bushell A1 Katarzyna K. Modrzynska A1 Oliver Billker A1 Joseph M. Vinetz A1 Ana Rivero A1 Chris I. Newbold A1 Matthew Berriman YR 2016 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/11/09/086504.abstract AB Avian malaria parasites are prevalent around the world, and infect a wide diversity of bird species. Here we report the sequencing and analysis of high quality draft genome sequences for two avian malaria species, Plasmodium relictum and Plasmodium gallinaceum. We identify 50 genes that are specific to avian malaria, located in an otherwise conserved core of the genome that shares gene synteny with all other sequenced malaria genomes. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the avian malaria species form an outgroup to the mammalian Plasmodium species. Consistent with their phylogenetic position, we identify orthologs of genes that had previously appeared to be restricted to the clades of parasites containing P. falciparum and P. vivax – the species with the greatest impact on human health. The subtelomeres of P. relictum and P. gallinaceum contain several novel gene families, including an expanded surf multigene family. We also identify an expansion of reticulocyte binding protein homologs in P. relictum and within these proteins proteins, we detect distinct regions that are specific to non-human primate, humans, rodent and avian hosts. For the first time in the Plasmodium lineage we find evidence of transposable elements, including several hundred fragments of LTR-retrotransposons in both species and an apparently complete LTR-retrotransposon in the genome of P. gallinaceum.