Comparative heterochromatin profiling reveals conserved and unique epigenome signatures linked to adaptation and development of malaria parasites

Heterochromatin-dependent gene silencing is central to the adaptation and survival of Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites, allowing clonally variant gene expression during blood infection in humans. By assessing genome-wide heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) occupancy, we present a comprehensive an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fraschka, Sabine A., Filarsky, Michael, Hoo, Regina, Niederwieser, Igor, Yam, Xue Yan, Mohring, Franziska, Huang, Ximei, Christensen, Peter R., Nosten, Francois, Bozdech, Zbynek, Russell, Bruce, Moon, Robert W., Marti, Matthias, Bártfai, Richárd, Voss, Till S., Brancucci, Nicolas M. B., Mushunje, Annals Tatenda, Preiser, Peter Rainer
Other Authors: School of Biological Sciences
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/106386
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/49617
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:Heterochromatin-dependent gene silencing is central to the adaptation and survival of Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites, allowing clonally variant gene expression during blood infection in humans. By assessing genome-wide heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) occupancy, we present a comprehensive analysis of heterochromatin landscapes across different Plasmodium species, strains, and life cycle stages. Common targets of epigenetic silencing include fast-evolving multi-gene families encoding surface antigens and a small set of conserved HP1-associated genes with regulatory potential. Many P. falciparum heterochromatic genes are marked in a strain-specific manner, increasing the parasite's adaptive capacity. Whereas heterochromatin is strictly maintained during mitotic proliferation of asexual blood stage parasites, substantial heterochromatin reorganization occurs in differentiating gametocytes and appears crucial for the activation of key gametocyte-specific genes and adaptation of erythrocyte remodeling machinery. Collectively, these findings provide a catalog of heterochromatic genes and reveal conserved and specialized features of epigenetic control across the genus Plasmodium.