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Short Communication Volume 14 Issue 1
Enrichment of nuclear DNA of organelle origin may shape genome evolution in Plasmodium malariae
Mosab Nouraldein Mohammed Hamad
Received: March 03, 2026 | Published: March 11, 2026
Citation: Hamad MNM. Enrichment of nuclear DNA of organelle origin may shape genome evolution in Plasmodium malariae. J Microbial Exp. 2026;14(1):15-16. DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2026.14.00450
Abstract
Plasmodium malariae is an understudied human malaria parasite with reduced but essential mitochondrial and apicoplast genomes. Transfer of organellar DNA into the nuclear genome generates nuclear DNA of organellar origin (NUOTs), including nuclear mitochondrial DNA segments (NUMTs) and nuclear plastid DNA segments (NUPTs), which can influence genome architecture and evolution. Although NUOTs have been described in several apicomplexans, their contribution to Plasmodium genome evolution remains poorly defined. We hypothesize that P . malariae contains a higher abundance of NUOTs than Plasmodium falciparum, reflecting species-specific differences in organellar DNA integration dynamics and nuclear genome evolution. Using comparative genomic analyses of publicly available nuclear genome assemblies, this study aims to assess NUOT abundance and distribution in both species. Elucidating NUOT content may reveal evolutionary features associated with genome stability and long-term persistence in human malaria parasites.
Keywords: Plasmodium malariae, nuclear DNA of organellar origin, NUMTs, NUPTs, genome evolution
©2026 Hamad. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.