title: Allelic dimorphism in the merozoite surface protein-3alpha in Korean isolates of Plasmodium vivax.
abstract: To study the genetic diversity of re-emerging Plasmodium vivax in the Republic of Korea, nucleotide sequence variations at the merozoite surface protein-3alpha (PvMSP-3alpha) locus were analyzed using 24 re-emerging isolates and 4 isolates from imported cases. Compared with the well known Belem strain (Brazil), a large number of amino acid substitutions, deletions, and insertions were found at the locus of the isolates examined. The Korean isolates were divided into two allelic types; type I (15 isolates), similar to the Belem strain, and type II (9), similar to the Chess strain (New Guinea). Isolates from imported cases were classified into three types; type III (1 from Malaysia), similar to type B from western Thailand, type IV (1 each from Indonesia and India), and type V (1 from Pakistan), both being new types. Our results have shown that the MSP-3alpha locus of re-emerging Korean P. vivax is dimorphic with two allelic types coexisting in the endemic area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Kangwon National University College of Medicine, Chunchon, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Taek
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Tae-Eui
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Jae-Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Eun-Hee
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Sang-Mee
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Guk
authors.forename: Tae-Yun
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jong-Yil
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chai
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000469:parasitology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C089133:merozoite surface protein 3, Plasmodium