Karyotype analysis of virulent Plasmodium falciparum strains propagated in Saimiri sciureus: strain adaptation leads to deletion of the RESA gene.
The squirrel monkey, Saimiri sciureus, is an important experimental model for the study of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. A detailed karyotype analysis of four different P. falciparum strains propagated in S. sciureus was done using various subtelomeric antigen gene probes. We observed deletion of the complete RESA gene from chromosome 1 in all four strains. Interestingly, a loss of RESA was observed immediately upon adaptation to the squirrel monkey, suggesting that this DNA rearrangement is fundamental for the P. falciparum infection of S. sciureus erythrocytes. However, a RESA-specific gene probe hybridized with chromosome 1 of wild isolates from 28 different patients, indicating that this gene is maintained during infection of humans.
Hinterberg
K
K
Unité de Parasitologie Expérimentale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique URA 361, Institut Pasteur, Paris.
Muanza
K
K
Hernandez-Rivas
R
R
Gay
F
F
Gysin
J
J
Mattei
D
D
Scherf
A
A
D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D017353:Gene Deletion; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D007621:Karyotyping; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012453:Saimiri
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C050256:ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (RESA), Plasmodium falciparum