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Latest Advances in Microsporidian Genomes

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 June 2024) | Viewed by 1563

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
UCA, CNRS, UMR6023 LMGE, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
Interests: microsporidia; whole genome sequencing

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CNRS, UMR6023, Laboratoire Microorganismes Génome et Environnement, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
Interests: Blastocystis; toxicology; fipronil; Nosema ceranae and microbiology

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UCA, CNRS, UMR6023 LMGE, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
Interests: blastocystis; microsporidia

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The microsporidian phylum, a very evolved branch of the rozellids, includes over 1,700 species divided into more than 220 genera that infect an extremely diverse range of hosts. Numerous species have veterinary and economic impacts and some may be involved in human diseases. Both molecular karyotype analyses and the genome sequencing of several microsporidian species indicate that their nuclear genomes range in size from only 2.3 Mbp for the human pathogen Encephalitozoon intestinalis to 51 Mbp for the mosquito parasite Edhazardia aedis. With the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, the systematic sequencing of multiple microsporidian genomes has been undertaken, and over the last few decades genomic data have rapidly accumulated with more than 50 genomes now available. Studies have highlighted that the genomes of these obligate intracellular parasites have greatly evolved and display specific characteristics. However, there are still many areas to be explored in order to understand the evolution of these genomes, their regulation during infection, and how they have enabled these parasites to adapt to numerous ecological niches and a wide range of species (from protozoa to mammals, including humans).

Through original research articles and reviews, this Special Issue aims to collect the latest findings and research advancements in microsporidian genomes and functional genomics in the context of parasitism, evolution, the functions of genes or gene products, genome regulation, and host–pathogen interactions. Specific approaches for studying these genomes are also welcome.

Dr. Eric Peyretaillade
Dr. Frédéric Delbac
Dr. Ivan Wawrzyniak
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • microsporidian genome sequencing and annotation
  • functional genomics
  • epigenetics
  • genome evolution
  • genome adaptation
  • genome and gene regulation
  • gene functions and products
  • genes implicated in host–pathogen interactions

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2032 KiB  
Article
MicroAnnot: A Dedicated Workflow for Accurate Microsporidian Genome Annotation
by Jérémy Tournayre, Valérie Polonais, Ivan Wawrzyniak, Reginald Florian Akossi, Nicolas Parisot, Emmanuelle Lerat, Frédéric Delbac, Pierre Souvignet, Matthieu Reichstadt and Eric Peyretaillade
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(2), 880; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25020880 - 10 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1220
Abstract
With nearly 1700 species, Microsporidia represent a group of obligate intracellular eukaryotes with veterinary, economic and medical impacts. To help understand the biological functions of these microorganisms, complete genome sequencing is routinely used. Nevertheless, the proper prediction of their gene catalogue is challenging [...] Read more.
With nearly 1700 species, Microsporidia represent a group of obligate intracellular eukaryotes with veterinary, economic and medical impacts. To help understand the biological functions of these microorganisms, complete genome sequencing is routinely used. Nevertheless, the proper prediction of their gene catalogue is challenging due to their taxon-specific evolutionary features. As innovative genome annotation strategies are needed to obtain a representative snapshot of the overall lifestyle of these parasites, the MicroAnnot tool, a dedicated workflow for microsporidian sequence annotation using data from curated databases of accurately annotated microsporidian genes, has been developed. Furthermore, specific modules have been implemented to perform small gene (<300 bp) and transposable element identification. Finally, functional annotation was performed using the signature-based InterProScan software. MicroAnnot’s accuracy has been verified by the re-annotation of four microsporidian genomes for which structural annotation had previously been validated. With its comparative approach and transcriptional signal identification method, MicroAnnot provides an accurate prediction of translation initiation sites, an efficient identification of transposable elements, as well as high specificity and sensitivity for microsporidian genes, including those under 300 bp. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latest Advances in Microsporidian Genomes)
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