Cryptosporidium Genomics – Current Understanding, Advances, and Applications
Purpose of review: Here we highlight the significant contribution that genomics-based approaches have had on the field of Cryptosporidium research and the insights these approaches have generated into Cryptosporidium biology and transmission.
Recent findings: There are advances in genomics, genetic manipulation, gene expression, and single-cell technologies. New and better genome sequences have revealed variable sub-telomeric gene families and genes under selection. RNA expression data now include single-cell and post-infection time points. These data have provided insights into the Cryptosporidium life cycle and host-pathogen interactions. Antisense and ncRNA transcripts are abundant. The critical role of the dsRNA virus is becoming apparent.
Summary: The community’s ability to identify genomic targets in the abundant, yet still lacking, collection of genomic data, combined with their increased ability to assess function via gene knock-out, is revolutionizing the field. Advances in the detection of virulence genes, surveillance, population genomics, recombination studies, and epigenetics are upon us.
Fiifi Agyabeng-Dadzie, Rui Xiao, Jessica C Kissinger. Curr Trop Med Rep. 2024;11(2):92-103. doi: 10.1007/s40475-024-00318-y.