Genome sequencing project of T. gondii, strain TgCatJpOk4. Toxoplasma

To understand the genomic composition of T. gondii in Japan, we are sequencing the genome of Japanese isolates in our genomic sequencing project of T. gondii. As part of the project, we sequenced the Japanese isolate, TgCatJpOk4 isolated from wild cat in Okinawa prefecture, showing high virulence in mouse models but the phenotypes associated with the virulence (growth rate, invasion ability) is similar to low virulence laboratory strain in our study. To reveal the molcular mechanism of this phenomenon and decide the phylogenetic position of TgCatJpOk4 accurately, we sequenced the whole genome of TgCatJpOk4 by using Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencer.