Genetic diversity and selection in three Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 7 (Pvmsp-7) genes in a Colombian population.
A completely effective vaccine for malaria (one of the major infectious diseases worldwide) is not yet available; different membrane proteins involved in parasite-host interactions have been proposed as candidates for designing it. It has been found that proteins encoded by the merozoite surface protein (msp)-7 multigene family are antibody targets in natural infection; the nucleotide diversity of three Pvmsp-7 genes was thus analyzed in a Colombian parasite population. By contrast with P. falciparum msp-7 loci and ancestral P. vivax msp-7 genes, specie-specific duplicates of the latter specie display high genetic variability, generated by single nucleotide polymorphisms, repeat regions, and recombination. At least three major allele types are present in Pvmsp-7C, Pvmsp-7H and Pvmsp-7I and positive selection seems to be operating on the central region of these msp-7 genes. Although this region has high genetic polymorphism, the C-terminus (Pfam domain ID: PF12948) is conserved and could be an important candidate when designing a subunit-based antimalarial vaccine.
Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia - FIDIC, Bogotá DC, Colombia.
Diego
D
Garzón-Ospina
Carolina
C
López
Johanna
J
Forero-Rodríguez
Manuel A
MA
Patarroyo
D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000494:pharmacology; D003105:Colombia; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
D000962:Antimalarials; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C439571:merozoite surface protein 7, Plasmodium