Why are male malaria parasites in such a rush?: Sex-specific evolution and host-parasite interactions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Disease-causing organisms are notorious for fast rates of molecular evolution and the ability to adapt rapidly to changes in their ecology. Sex plays a key role in evolution, and recent studies, in humans and other multicellular organisms, document that genes expressed principally or exclusively in males exhibit the fastest rates of adaptive evolution. However, despite the importance of sexual reproduction for many unicellular taxa, sex-biased gene expression and its evolutionary implications have been overlooked.

Methods

We analyse genomic data from multiple malaria parasite (Plasmodium) species and proteomic data sets from different parasite life cycle stages.

Results

The accelerated evolution of male-biased genes has only been examined in multicellular t

SUBMITTER: Khan SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4183958 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature