Transposition of the Drosophila element mariner within the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium falciparum is an important intraerythrocytic protozoan pathogen, responsible for the most severe form of human malaria. Tools that allow large scale functional analysis of this genome are needed to exploit the accumulating P. falciparum genomic information, for better understanding of the biology of the parasite and to guide drug and vaccine development. While DNA transfection of this organism has been accomplished, the methods are still improving and recombination is nearly always at homologous sites. The establishment of a transposable element system for Plasmodium would allow rapid generation of gene fusions and insertional mutants. Towards this goal, we demonstrate transposition of the autonomous Drosophila mauritania element mariner within P. falciparum.