Three-Dimensional Genome Organization and Virulence in Apicomplexan Parasites

Mounting evidence supports the idea that epigenetic, and the overall 3-dimensional (3D) architecture of the genome, plays an important role in gene expression for eukaryotic organisms. We recently used Hi-C methodologies to generate and compare the 3D genome of 7 different apicomplexan parasites, including several pathogenic and less pathogenic malaria parasites as well as related human parasites Babesia microti and Toxoplasma gondii. Our goal was to understand the possible relationship between genome organization, gene expression, and pathogenicity of these infectious agents. Collectively, our results demonstrate that spatial genome organization in most Plasmodium species is constrained by the colocalization of virulence genes that are unique in their effect on chromosome folding, indicating a link between genome organization and gene expression in more virulent pathogens.