Inter-allelic recombination in the Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 1 gene among Indian and Colombian isolates

ABSTARCT: A major concern in malaria vaccine development is the polymorphism observed among different Plasmodium isolates in different geographical areas across the globe. The merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1) is a leading vaccine candidate antigen against asexual blood stages of malaria parasite. To date, little is known about the extent of sequence variation in the Plasmodium vivax MSP-1 gene (Pvmsp-1) among Indian isolates. Since P. vivax accounts for >50% of malaria cases in India and in Colombia, it is essential to know the Pvmsp-1 gene variability in these two countries to sustain it as a vaccine candidate. The extent of polymorphism in Pvmsp-1 gene among Indian and Colombian isolates is described. Methods: The sequence variation in the region encompassing the inter-species conserved blocks (ICBs) five and six of Pvmsp-1 gene was examined. PCR was carried out to amplify the polymorphic region of Pvmsp-1 and the PCR products from twenty (nine Indian and 11 Colombian) isolates were sequenced and aligned with Belem and Salvador-1 sequences. Results: Results revealed three distinct types of sequences among these isolates, namely, Salvador-like, Belem-like and a third type sequence which was generated due to interallelic recombination between Salvador-like sequences and Belem-like sequences. Existence of the third type in majority (44%) showed that allelic recombinations play an important role in PvMSP1 diversity in natural parasite population. Micro-heterogeneity was also seen in a few of these isolates due to nucleotide substitutions, insertions as well as deletions. Conclusions: Intergenic recombination in the Pvmsp-1 gene was found and suggest that this is the main cause for genetic diversity of the Pvmsp-1 gene.

• Autores: Maestre Buitrago, Amanda Elena; Sunil, Sujatha; Ahmad, Gul; Mohmmed, Asif; Echeverri, Marcela; Corredor Rodríguez, Mauricio; Blair Trujillo, Silvia; Chauhan, Virander; Malhotra, Pawan
• Tipo de recurso: Article of investigation
• Fecha de publicación: 2004
• Institución: Universidad de Antioquia
• Repositorio: Repositorio UdeA
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:bibliotecadigital.udea.edu.co:10495/11590
• Acceso en línea: http://hdl.handle.net/10495/11590
• Palabra clave: Amino Acids; Protozoan genomes; Merozoite Surface Protein 1; Molecular Sequence Data; Genetic Variation; Aminoácidos de Cadena Ramificada; Plasmodium vivax; Polymerase Chain Reaction; ADN Polimerasas
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/co/