Methylome discovery in P. falciparum

Cytosine DNA methylation is a critical epigenetic mark in most eukaryotic cells. Here, we present a whole-genome discovery of DNA methylations using bisulfite sequencing in the human malaria parasite. We discovered for the first time that the malaria genome is asymmetrically methylated and shares common features with undifferentiated plant and mammalian cells. Core promoters were detected as being hypomethylated and transcript levels correlated with intra-exonic methylation. We further detected sharp transitions of methylation occurring at exon-intron boundaries and increased levels of methylation in sub-telomeric regions that contain genes involved in virulence. Altogether our data suggest that DNA methylation regulates virulence, transcription elongation and alternative splicing. These findings identify new research leads in epigenetics in general and in the fight against malaria in particular.