RESEARCH PROJECTS

Sarcocystis neurona Genome Sequencing Project

Contact:
Sriveny Dangoudoubiyam, postdoctoral scholar
sriveny.dangoud@uky.edu

Daniel K. Howe, Ph.D.
E-mail: dkhowe2@uky.edu
Phone: (859) 218-1113

Sarcocystis neurona is the primary etiological agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), and an emerging pathogen of marine mammals.  S. neurona belongs to the phylum Apicomplexa that includes several important pathogens of human and veterinary importance viz., Plasmodium spp., Toxoplasma gondii and Eimeria spp. Similar to other pathogenic apicomplexans, the lifecycle of S. neurona is also complex with multiple lifecycle stages viz., sporozoites, merozoites and bradyzoites. The term “zoites” is used to represent these lifecycle stages and are characterized by the presence of the apical complex. Members of this phylum also harbor a chloroplast remnant called the apicoplast, an organelle derived by secondary endosymbiosis. The genome of S.neurona was sequenced using a combination of 454 pyrosequencing and Sanger paired-end sequencing of fosmid clones. The genome sequence will be useful in many ways:

• Mining potential diagnostic and vaccine candidates and chemotherapeutic agents

• Provide insight into the complex biology of S. neurona

• Reference for comparative genomics to reveal molecular diversity among different strains of S. neurona and other Sarcocystis species

• Model to study phylogenetic relations between members of the Phylum Apicomplexa.

Useful Links:

• http://www.uky.edu/Centers/AGTC/

• http://eupathdb.org/eupathdb/

• http://mango.ctegd.uga.edu/jkissingLab/