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Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, September 2003, p. 360-375, Vol. 67, No. 3
1092-2172/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/MMBR.67.3.360-375.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Repetitive Elements in Genomes of Parasitic Protozoa

Bill Wickstead,1 Klaus Ersfeld,2 and Keith Gull1*

Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE,1 School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT United Kingdom2

Repetitive DNA elements have been a part of the genomic fauna of eukaryotes perhaps since their very beginnings. Millions of years of coevolution have given repeats central roles in chromosome maintenance and genetic modulation. Here we review the genomes of parasitic protozoa in the context of the current understanding of repetitive elements. Particular reference is made to repeats in five medically important species with ongoing or completed genome sequencing projects: Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania major, Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Giardia lamblia. These organisms are used to illustrate five thematic classes of repeats with different structures and genomic locations. We discuss how these repeat classes may interact with parasitic life-style and also how they can be used as experimental tools. The story which emerges is one of opportunism and upheaval which have been employed to add genetic diversity and genomic flexibility.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 1865 285 455. Fax: 44 1865 285 691. E-mail: keith.gull{at}pathology.oxford.ac.uk.

Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, September 2003, p. 360-375, Vol. 67, No. 3
1092-2172/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/MMBR.67.3.360-375.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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