title: Characterizing the genetic diversity of the monkey malaria parasite Plasmodium cynomolgi.
abstract: Plasmodium cynomolgi is a malaria parasite that typically infects Asian macaque monkeys, and humans on rare occasions. P. cynomolgi serves as a model system for the human malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax, with which it shares such important biological characteristics as formation of a dormant liver stage and a preference to invade reticulocytes. While genomes of three P. cynomolgi strains have been sequenced, genetic diversity of P. cynomolgi has not been widely investigated. To address this we developed the first panel of P. cynomolgi microsatellite markers to genotype eleven P. cynomolgi laboratory strains and 18 field isolates from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. We found diverse genotypes among most of the laboratory strains, though two nominally different strains were found to be genetically identical. We also investigated sequence polymorphism in two erythrocyte invasion gene families, the reticulocyte binding protein and Duffy binding protein genes, in these strains. We also observed copy number variation in rbp genes.
authors.affiliation: Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, United States.
authors.forename: Patrick L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.affiliation: Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, United States.
authors.forename: Zunping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Pathogen Molecular Biology Department, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom; Malaria Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Paul C S
authors.initials: PCS
authors.lastname: Divis
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, New York University, 38 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, United States.
authors.forename: Volney K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.affiliation: Pathogen Molecular Biology Department, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom; Malaria Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Conway
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Balbir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Research and Development Unit, Malaria Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Barnwell
authors.affiliation: Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, United States.
authors.forename: Jane M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Carlton
authors.affiliation: Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, United States. Electronic address: sullis02@nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005838:Genotype; D005843:Geography; D008288:Malaria / Q000662:veterinary*; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016789:Plasmodium cynomolgi / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
keywords: Evolution; Genetic variation; Microsatellite repeats; Plasmodium cynomolgi; Plasmodium vivax