Caister Academic Press

The Genome of Trichomonas vaginalis

Jane M. Carlton, Shehre-Banoo Malik, Steven A. Sullivan, Thomas Sicheritz-Ponten, Petrus Tang and Robert P. Hirt
from: Anaerobic Parasitic Protozoa: Genomics and Molecular Biology (Edited by: C. Graham Clark, Patricia J. Johnson and Rodney D. Adam). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2010)

Abstract

The genome of Trichomonas vaginalis, the first from a parabasalid to be sequenced, was published in 2007, the culmination of a project marked by several surprises and not a little distress. The ~160 Mb genome was found to be significantly larger than first described, presenting new challenges to the standard genome sequencing pipeline, as well as to continued funding. Here we present an overview of the project, including both a historical synopsis of how the project was conceived and carried out, as well as a summary of the fascinating biology revealed by analysis of the genome. To illustrate the utility of the complete genome sequence, specific areas of the parasite's biology - including membrane trafficking and mode of reproduction - are expanded and brought up-to-date read more ...
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