Genome wide sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum strains edited by CRISPR-Cas9. Plasmodium falciparum strain:3D7 & NF54

Improved tools for manipulating the genome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum are needed for research into the molecular pathways underlying malaria pathogenesis and drug resistance. We adapted the RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 system for genome editing in P. falciparum and disrupted two loci and generated marker free single-nucleotide substitutions with high efficiency at two further loci. We introduced a polymorphism recently implicated in artemisinin resistance in clinical isolates and confirmed its association with resistance, illustrating the value of genome editing for malaria research. The data deposited here was used to validate the system and determine any off-targeting events for which we found no evidence.