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Evolution of chloroplast transcript processing in Plasmodium and its chromerid algal relatives

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dc.contributor.authorDorrell, R.G.
dc.contributor.authorDrew, J.
dc.contributor.authorNisbet, R.E.R.
dc.contributor.authorHowe, C.J.
dc.contributor.editorDutcher, S.K.
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractIt is well understood that apicomplexan parasites, such as the malaria pathogen Plasmodium, are descended from free-living algae, and maintain a vestigial chloroplast that has secondarily lost all genes of photosynthetic function. Recently, two fully photosynthetic relatives of parasitic apicomplexans have been identified, the 'chromerid' algae Chromera velia and Vitrella brassicaformis, which retain photosynthesis genes within their chloroplasts. Elucidating the processes governing gene expression in chromerid chloroplasts might provide valuable insights into the origins of parasitism in the apicomplexans. We have characterised chloroplast transcript processing pathways in C. velia, V. brassicaformis and P. falciparum with a focus on the addition of an unusual, 39 poly(U) tail. We demonstrate that poly(U) tails in chromerids are preferentially added to transcripts that encode proteins that are directly involved in photosynthetic electron transfer, over transcripts for proteins that are not involved in photosynthesis. To our knowledge, this represents the first chloroplast transcript processing pathway to be associated with a particular functional category of genes. In contrast, Plasmodium chloroplast transcripts are not polyuridylylated. We additionally present evidence that poly(U) tail addition in chromerids is involved in the alternative processing of polycistronic precursors covering multiple photosynthesis genes, and appears to be associated with high levels of transcript abundance. We propose that changes to the chloroplast transcript processing machinery were an important step in the loss of photosynthesis in ancestors of parasitic apicomplexans.
dc.identifier.citationPLoS Genetics, 2014; 10(1, paper no. e1004008):1-15
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pgen.1004008
dc.identifier.issn1553-7390
dc.identifier.issn1553-7404
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1959.8/157695
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherPublic Library of Science
dc.relation.fundingBBSRC doctoral training award BB/F017464/1
dc.relation.fundingWellcome Trust 094249
dc.rightsCopyright 2014 Dorrell et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1004008
dc.subjectapicomplexa
dc.subjectchloroplasts
dc.subjectdinoflagellates
dc.subjectphotosynthesis
dc.subjectpolymerase chain reaction
dc.subjectreverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction
dc.subjectsequence alignment
dc.subjectuntranslated regions
dc.titleEvolution of chloroplast transcript processing in Plasmodium and its chromerid algal relatives
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished
ror.fileinfo12143281160001831 13143308730001831 9915910284001831_53108670160001831.pdf
ror.mmsid9915910284001831

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