GPI

Together with Adrienne Sexton and Louis Schofield, we have been trying to identify in silico all genes encoded in the Plasmodium falciparum genome that are needed for the biosynthesis of GPI molecules. As starting point we had sequences from the genes as characterised in different species, mainly in human and baker's yeast on one side and the partially assembled sequences from the malaria genomic project on the other side.

We have then theoretically and experimentally worked on the sequencs, the intron-exon structure and the protein expression of the identified genes. The manuscript describing the results is being submitted as of january 2002. The genes characterised so far are: PIG-A, PIG-B, PIG-M, PIG-O, GAA-1 and DPM1, in additon to the GPI1 and GPI8 genes studied primarily by our collegues in Marburg.

The Plasmodium sequences used for the paper are made available for download in multifasta format here in connection to submision of the paper. In brief one file contains the genomic sequences with the coding regions (uppercase) and introns (lowercase between exons). The other file contains a translation into the predicted protein sequence. For all details please refer to the paper. Not included are sequences already submitted to Genbank (GPI1 and GPI8, accession numbers AJ401202 and AJ249657). The genomic sequences were originally obtained from the malaria genomic project. We have mapped the intron boundaries and in the process verified part of the genomic seqences and in one case corrected it to match our sequencing results.