Heterogeneity and expression of the Plasmodium falciparum 5.8S ribosomal RNA genes

The number and expression of some of the large ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene classes present in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum was determined. Southern blot analyses, using the 5.8S rRNA coding region as a marker, indicate that the P. falciparum genome contains at least 5 distinct subclasses of large rRNA genes. Dideoxy sequencing of the 5.8S rRNA domain and Northern blot analyses demonstrate that only one subclass is transcribed during the parasite's asexual erythrocyte life cycle.