Login / Signup

Polyploidy is widespread in Microsporidia.

Amjad KhalafMara N K LawniczakMark L BlaxterKamil S Jaron
Published in: Microbiology spectrum (2024)
Microsporidia are single-celled intracellular parasites, distantly related to fungi, that can infect a broad range of hosts, from humans all the way to protozoans. Exploiting the wealth of microsporidian genomic data available, we use k-mer-based analyses to assess ploidy status across the group. Understanding a genome's ploidy is crucial in order to assemble it effectively and may also be relevant for better understanding a parasite's behavior and life cycle. We show that tetraploidy is present in at least six species in Microsporidia and that these polyploidization events are likely to have occurred independently. We discuss why these findings may be paradoxical, given that Microsporidia, like other intracellular parasites, have extremely small, reduced genomes.
Keyphrases
  • life cycle
  • plasmodium falciparum
  • electronic health record
  • big data
  • genome wide
  • gene expression
  • machine learning
  • genetic diversity