Phylogenetic study of the genus Plasmodium based on the secondary structure-based alignment of the small subunit ribosomal RNA

The phylogenetic relationship of the genus Plasmodium has been studied by several investigators using partial or full-length sequences of 18S SSU rRNA genes. Special attention has been focused on the issue of the origin of Plasmodium falciparum. Earlier studies suggested that P. falciparum was of re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular and biochemical parasitology 1997-12, Vol.90 (1), p.317-321
Main Authors: Escalante, Ananias A, Goldman, Ira F, De Rijk, Peter, De Wachter, Rupert, Collins, William E, Qari, Shoukat H, Lal, Altaf A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Genes, Protozoan
Malaria
Molecular epidemiology
Nucleic Acid Conformation
Phylogeny
Plasmodium - classification
Plasmodium - genetics
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium simium
Ribosomal RNA
RNA, Protozoan - chemistry
RNA, Protozoan - genetics
RNA, Ribosomal, 18S - chemistry
RNA, Ribosomal, 18S - genetics
Sequence Alignment
Virulence
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Summary:The phylogenetic relationship of the genus Plasmodium has been studied by several investigators using partial or full-length sequences of 18S SSU rRNA genes. Special attention has been focused on the issue of the origin of Plasmodium falciparum. Earlier studies suggested that P. falciparum was of recent origin because of a host switch from a nonhuman host. This hypothesis was used to explain the high virulence of P. falciparum in comparison with other human malarial parasites. Studies of plasmodial evolution that used 18S SSU rRNA gene-based phylogeny showed that P. falciparum shared a common ancestor with avian Plasmodium species. It was further suggested that this host switch could have taken place at the beginning of agriculture, supporting the traditional notion that the high virulence of P. falciparum could be explained by the short period of the host-parasite association. Subsequent phylogenetic studies showed that P. reichenowi (a chimpanzee parasite) was closely related to P. falciparum and that the bird parasites shared a common ancestor with Plasmodium parasitic of lizards.
ISSN:0166-6851
1872-9428
DOI:10.1016/S0166-6851(97)00121-7