Nucleic Acids Research, 2006, Vol. 34, No. 2 499 Figure 1. P.falciparum SECIS elements. (A) Structures of four SECIS elements identified with SECISearch in the P.falciparum genome are shown. Conserved nucleotides in the apical loop and the Quartet (SECIS core) are shown in bold. A consensus SECIS structure is shown on the left. It illustrates the overall shape of the structure and indicates the location of various structural elements and conserved nucleotides. (B) Nucleotide sequence alignments of SECIS elements in Plasmodium selenoprotein genes #1–4. The location of Helices I and II, apical and internal loops, and the Quartet (SECIS core) is indicated. The unpaired A preceding the Quartet, the Quartet itself and the unpaired AA in the apical bulge are shown in red.