@article{1c00e610cf56405ca018137d49a75039,
title = "The genome of Cryptosporidium hominis",
abstract = "Cryptosporidium species cause acute gastroenteritis and diarrhoea worldwide. They are members of the Apicomplexa-protozoan pathogens that invade host cells by using a specialized apical complex and are usually transmitted by an invertebrate vector or intermediate host. In contrast to other Apicomplexans, Cryptosporidium is transmitted by ingestion of oocysts and completes its life cycle in a single host. No therapy is available, and control focuses on eliminating oocysts in water supplies. Two species, C. hominis and C. parvum, which differ in host range, genotype and pathogenicity, are most relevant to humans. C. hominis is restricted to humans, whereas C. parvum also infects other mammals. Here we describe the eight-chromosome ∼9.2-million-base genome of C. hominis. The complement of C. hominis protein-coding genes shows a striking concordance with the requirements imposed by the environmental niches the parasite inhabits. Energy metabolism is largely from glycolysis. Both aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms are available, the former requiring an alternative electron transport system in a simplified mitochondrion. Biosynthesis capabilities are limited, explaining an extensive array of transporters. Evidence of an apicoplast is absent, but genes associated with apical complex organelles are present. C. hominis and C. parvum exhibit very similar gene complements, and phenotypic differences between these parasites must be due to subtle sequence divergence.",
author = "Ping Xu and Giovanni Widmer and Yingping Wang and Ozaki, {Lulz S.} and Alves, {Joao M.} and Serrano, {Myrna G.} and Daniela Pulu and Patriclo Manque and Donna Akiyoshi and Mackey, {Aaron J.} and Pearson, {William R.} and Dear, {Paul H.} and Bankler, {Alan T.} and Peterson, {Darrell L.} and Abrahamsen, {Mltchell S.} and Vivek Kapur and Saul Tzipori and Buck, {Gregory A.}",
note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgements We thank J. L. Kerwin for mass spectrometric analyses. Preliminary T. vaginalis genome sequence data were obtained from TIGR through the website at http:// www.tigr.org. Sequencing of the T. vaginalis genome was accomplished with support from the NIH. This work was supported by National Institute of Health (NIH) grants (P.J.J. and C.F.C.) and a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astrobiology grant to UCLA. P.J.J. is a Burroughs Wellcome Scholar in Molecular Parasitology. The UCLA Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Technology Center (J.A.L.) was established with a grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation. Funding Information: Acknowledgements We thank S. Hendricks, M. R. C. Carvalho, S. Tula, G. Kazanina, J. Power, A. Holzgrefe, N. Ebashi, E. Butt, B. Sutton, S. Millett, W. Vogel and B. Constance for their technical contributions to this project and J. Elhai, D. Mallonee, L. M. Wen, T. Zwierzynski and Z. Chen for their contributions to the planning and performance of this project. This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Funding Information: Acknowledgements We thank S. Edwards for maintaining and managing the Biochemistry Division X-ray Crystallography facility; and T. Cech, A. Pardi, D. Wuttke, J. Kieft and R. Rambo for discussions and comments on the manuscript. This work was funded in part from a grant from the Research Corporation and the University of Colorado Butcher Biotechnology Initiative. S.D.G. was supported in part by a NIH predoctoral training grant.",
year = "2004",
month = oct,
day = "28",
doi = "10.1038/nature02977",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "431",
pages = "1107--1112",
journal = "Nature",
issn = "0028-0836",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "7012",
}