title: Plasmodium falciparum: intragenic recombination and nonrandom associations between polymorphic domains of the precursor to the major merozoite surface antigens.
abstract: Extensive allelic polymorphism in the Plasmodium falciparum major merozoite antigen precursor (MSP1/PMMSA) is partly due to intragenic recombination events within a short region near the 5' end of the gene. Newly described allelic sequences from this region of the gene are compared to those previously published, revealing additional sites of intragenic recombination. Epitopes recognised by monoclonal antibodies on the protein have been assigned on the basis of correlations between serology and amino acid sequence polymorphisms among different allelic types of MSP1. Serological analyses of MSP1 from 567 wild isolates from The Gambia, Nigeria, and Brazil reveal that certain pairs of epitopes, although sited on MSP1 domains separated by known sites of intragenic recombination, are highly significantly associated on parasites in endemic populations. Most associations are similar in the three countries. These associations are discussed with respect to the intragenic recombination hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cell, Animal, and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Conway
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rosario
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Oduola
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Salako
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Greenwood
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McBride
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D000939:Epitopes; D020066:Merozoite Surface Protein 1; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000939:Epitopes; D020066:Merozoite Surface Protein 1; D011498:Protein Precursors; D015800:Protozoan Proteins