With the completion and near completion of many malaria parasite genomesequencing
projects, efforts are now being directed toward a better understanding of gene
functions and discovery of vaccine and drug targets. Novel biologic pathways present in the
parasite have been identified through homology searches and inter- and intra-species
comparison of the parasite genome. Genetic mapping approaches, including linkage and
population association analyses, have provided valuable insights into parasite evolution,
virulence, drug resistance, and immune invasion. Genome-wide searches for loci under
various selection pressures have lead to discovery of parasite genetic loci or genes playing a
role in drug resistance or encoding for protective antigens. In addition, the Plasmodium
falciparum genome sequence provides the basis for the development of various microarrays
to monitor gene expression and to detect nucleotide substitution and deletion/amplification,
for genome-wide profiling of the parasite proteome, and for investigation of epigenetic
regulation of gene expression such as chromatin modification, and nucleosome position. In
this brief review, we will highlight some recent advances and studies in characterizing gene
function and related phenotype in P. falciparum that were made possible by the genome
sequence, particularly the development of a genome-wide diversity map and various
high-throughput genotyping methods for genome-wide association studies.
Keywords: Malaria, microarray, genome diversity, SNP, recombination,
comparative genomics.