The ribosomal RNA transcription landscapes of Plasmodium falciparum and related apicomplexan parasites.

ABSTRACT: Ribosome biogenesis is essential for the rapid proliferation and life cycle transitions of Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria. In eukaryotes, ribosomal RNA synthesis is carried out by RNA polymerase I (Pol I), highly specialized transcriptional machinery. This review provides a comparative analysis of Pol I transcription apparatus in yeast and humans, serving as a reference framework to examine its evolutionary divergence in P. falciparum and related apicomplexans and alveolates. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that some of these organisms lack any identifiable homologues or orthologs of several canonical eukaryotic transcription factors essential for Pol I-mediated transcription, including initiation factor RRN3, activator UBF, and all specific subunits of the promoter

SUBMITTER: Mair G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12235521 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature