Full-parasites

Full-parasites provides a comprehensive transcriptome database for apicomplexan parasites, including Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii, aggregating ESTs, full-length cDNAs, transcription start sites identified by an oligo-capping-based protocol, and RNA-Seq datasets to support analysis of gene expression, transcriptional regulation, and host-parasite interactions.

Key Features:

• Extensive EST Sequences: Contains 105,786 expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences derived from 12 apicomplexan parasite species.
• Full-Length cDNAs: Includes 5,925 completely sequenced full-length cDNA sequences.
• Transcription Start Sites (TSS): Provides more than 30 million TSS for Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii identified using an oligo-capping-based protocol.
• RNA-Seq Datasets: Incorporates two RNA-Seq datasets comprising 730 million mapped RNA-Seq tags, including 16 time-lapse experiments of cultured bradyzoite differentiation for Toxoplasma gondii and 31 clinical Plasmodium falciparum samples with both parasite and host human RNA extracted and sequenced.
• Integrated cDNA Resources: Integrates various cDNA data resources to enable comprehensive transcriptomic analyses across apicomplexan species.

Scientific Applications:

• Gene Expression and Regulation: Enables analysis of gene expression patterns and transcriptional regulation using ESTs, full-length cDNAs, TSS, and RNA-Seq data.
• Host–Parasite Interaction Studies: Supports simultaneous analysis of parasite and host human gene expression from clinical Plasmodium falciparum samples.
• Parasite Development and Differentiation: Facilitates investigation of temporal changes in gene expression during Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoite differentiation using time-lapse RNA-Seq.
• Evolutionary and Life-Cycle Research: Supports studies of life-cycle strategies, monophyletic traits, and evolutionary adaptations of apicomplexan parasites.

Methodology:

Methods explicitly stated include complete sequencing of full-length cDNAs, identification of TSS using an oligo-capping-based protocol, RNA-Seq with mapping of ~730 million tags, extraction and sequencing of both parasite and host human RNA, and integration of various cDNA data resources.