title: Circumsporozoite protein gene from Plasmodium reichenowi, a chimpanzee malaria parasite evolutionarily related to the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: We have cloned and sequenced the gene encoding the circumsporozoite (CS) protein of Plasmodium reichenowi a Plasmodium falciparum-like malaria parasite of chimpanzees. Comparison of the two CS proteins reveals both similarities and differences in these two evolutionarily related parasites that have adapted to different hosts. The P. reichenowi CS protein has a new repeat sequence, NVNP, in addition to the P. falciparum-like NANP and NVDP repeats. In the immunodominant TH2R and TH3R regions of the CS protein, the amino acid sequences are similar in both parasite proteins. The differences in the two proteins exist in domains around the conserved regions, Region I and Region II, which are otherwise conserved in the CS proteins of P. falciparum analyzed to date. Studies of parasite protein genes of evolutionarily related malaria parasites, together with other immunologic and biologic characteristics, will help better understand the evolution and host parasite relationship of malaria parasites and may provide a tool for identifying protein determinants for malaria vaccine development.
authors.affiliation: Malaria Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia 30333.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Lal
authors.forename: I F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000235:genetics*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C041595:circumsporozoite protein, Protozoan